


Shanghaied

by SuperSunGunner



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Corruption, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Depression, Developing Relationship, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Getting Together, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Kissing, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Read, Romance, Sad, Slash, Slow Burn, Swearing, Sweet, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, To Read, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:21:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 40,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25502779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperSunGunner/pseuds/SuperSunGunner
Summary: As the cave was collapsing, Sokka thought he was truly going to die. There was no point in trying to argue, he had already been struck by collateral lightning that not only hit the Avatar, but somehow got to him as well. He was ready to die, but someone had other plans. But that someone was the prince of the Fire Nation, who had somehow kidnapped him and taken him all the way across the world to the palace of the Firelord himself. Now, Sokka finds himself in a completely new world of status, wealth, and the thirst for power that everyone in the nation fights for.Sokka wanted to deny that Aang was dead, as time goes on, the more he starts to believe it. So where does that leave him? He can't escape, he can't go back home, he's stuck here, in a nation that hates him. Zuko is so keen on him staying, like he was always trying to prove something to Sokka. But he hates him. And Sokka starts to... change. The more time he spends with the Fire Nation kids, the more cynical he becomes. Was this something always inside of him, or was this just bad influence?ORCanon divergence where Sokka is injured and kidnapped after the season finale in book 2 and spends time with the Fire kids before the eclipse.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 112





	1. The Wound

**Author's Note:**

> So I woke up yesterday morning and this idea was in my mind, and I couldn't get it out of my head. So I just got in front of my lap top and went OFF. I usually like writing chapters that are 10,000 words+, so expect longer chapters than this one. It was just that this is sort of like an introduction, so I thought it fit to end it where it was. And another thing was I wrote this thing in two days. DONT JUDGE ME IF THERE ARE MISTAKES!!!!!

Chapter 1: The Wound

**Sokka:**

He was in pain. It was a pain that was so excruciatingly intolerable that he couldn't even move his own body, it hurt that bad. Sokka has experienced a lot in his short life: he’s traveled around the world, seen things that no one could even dream of. And he’s got into plenty of fights as well, but he’s never really gotten hurt. And Sokkas fought a lot of different people in his travels, from Fire Nation soldiers to just the run of the mill bandits and thieves. He was not a bender like the rest of his friends, but he did have his boomerang and wits, unlike his sister and friends who could still be gullible kids at times. But he doesn't think that any of them have gotten hurt as badly as he has right now, especially since their benders. Sometimes, people think that since someone was a bender, they would be able to protect themselves more often, but have they even met a bender before? The blue eyed boy could literally name all of the times when his friends and sister get into situations because they think that their bending could protect them, but Sokka knew better. He knew how to go through the world without any protection that their powers gave them, so he had to learn to get by with just a sword and boomerang. He did not have the luxury of protection that benders did, so he thinks that he sometimes had to have even more courage than they did when going off into battle. 

And right now, he did not have much courage. In fact, he had the exact opposite of courage. He felt like shit. The pain inside of his chest was absolutely _excruciating,_ he has never experienced anything like it. The cave was collapsing around them, and he did not know if his friends were going to make it out in time. And there was no way that they were going to be able to carry him and Aang together, they did not have enough willpower to do so. And he knows, no matter how much he did not want it to happen, they had to take Aang first. He was the goddamn Avatar after all, they had to choose him first. He was the only thing that actually stopped the Fire Nation from taking over the world, Sokka knew that, they all did. So he would be fine if he died in this cave, he would not be here for long anyway. Since the cave was caving in on itself, if the strike of lightning that had just collided in his chest didn’t kill him, then surely the rocks of the collapsing cave will. He wonders just how long it would take for the rocks to finally end him. Would this have been the warrior's death that his father would have wanted for him? He knew that his dad would never want him to die period, especially for something stupid, but this was a little different. His entire tribe was literally made up of warriors, at least the men were, and he knew some of the women did as well. But deep down, he knew this was not the death that his father would have wanted. He should have died on a battlefield, not here in the bottom of a cave. 

And at that point, Sokka was crying. Oh god, he does not even remember the last time he cried, but lo and behold, he was. Even when everything was roaring around him and his vision was nothing but white, he could still feel the run down the side of his head. He was laying on his back, and if his vision was not so obscure, he would probably be looking up at the ceiling of the cave. So there was no way that his salty tears could run down his cheeks, instead, he felt them hit his sideburns, feeling the moistness as they went through his hair. He did not know where his friends were, but he was sure that they would be long gone by now. He could not really see anything, as the pain in his chest was blinding him from really seeing anything. Sokka had heard that if someone was in so much pain, then their vision starts to become white. He’s never really experienced anything like this before, it was such a new concept for him. He did not go, there was still just so much that he wanted to do in this world! Or, what’s left of it if they actually beat the Fire Nation. Wait, he had to stop thinking that ‘they’ included him. It would just be Katara and the others now, excluding him. He did not want to leave her alone but what other choice did he have? He could not even move his body in a position like this. 

But all of a sudden, and much to his surprise, he felt two arms gently slide under his body, and he was lifted into the air. Sokka probably would have found the entire gesture comforting if the giant gash in his chest wasn’t stinging as much as it did. The water tribesman screamed in pain as he was lifted up, with his own voice echoing throughout the already roaring cave. Damn, whoever the hell was carrying him at the moment did not have an ounce of gentleness in their soul, as they just lifted him up and started running in an unknown direction. Sokka does not know just who was carrying him, it really could have been anyone at this point. He doubted it was any of his friends, as they were all too young and skinny to be able to carry him. So at this point, he did not know who was carrying him, but he did know that he was crying into their chest in how much pain he was in. It was obviously a man that had picked him up, as the chest he was resting his head on was too firm to be that of a woman’s, not that he was complaining though. And the man in question seemed to have such a skinny body as well, Sokka could tell with just the way that the rest of his body leaned against the other man’s. Just who was it that had picked him up… ? 

Sokka really doesn’t get a chance to remember, as the pain had become too much, and he slowly went unconscious. 

When Sokka awoke again, he felt the same pain he had before coming back to haunt him. He found it kind of funny in his delirious state, that the same thing that had made him go unconscious, was the same thing that woke him up. Either way, he was glad he did awake, as he found himself somewhere outside of the cave. He still could not see a damn thing, but he knew that there were multiple people around him. A lot of people actually, as instead of the cave making noise, it was now a roar of people yelling over one another. He was still being carried by the same ominous figure that had picked him up back at the cave, as the man did have a certain smell to him. The man in questioned smelled like… apples? To be more specifically, more like cooked apples, like a spicy sort of sweet. Sokka liked cooked apples, he had actually tried some with his travels with his sister and friends. They did not have a lot of fruits in the South Pole, only fish and live animals, so when he tasted actual fruits for the first time, it was such an odd experience. Maybe he could try some again one day… and he was going off topic. He was so out of it that his thoughts kept jumping over one another. Either way, he was somewhere different, and he did not know if that was a good or bad thing as of yet. He knew he was somewhere outside of the cave, so that was a win for everyone, but he was still too far gone to really think about anything else. But did his friends make it out? 

He felt the chest of his savior vibrate, feeling nothing but power as the man began to speak. “I need a medic, NOW!” 

There was something so familiar about this voice, but Sokka was so out of it that his mind could not even place exactly who it was, at least not yet. The voice so… young. And raspy, but it sounded like the man in question was used to badgering orders to people, he had such an authoritative tone to his voice. Sokka kind of liked it. Everytime he tried to talk to people like that, they kind of just gave him a weird glare or laughed at him. Maybe the guy could give him some pointers on how to sound more like a man, wouldn’t that be nice? If Sokka could chuckle right then, he would have, but he was just in so much pain that he couldn’t. His chest currently had a gaping slice in the center of it. Wait, the man said that he needed a medic! He must have been talking about one for Sokka! That was such a good idea, he really needed one of those. He was still in so much pain that his entire body had decided to shut itself off. Maybe they could find a waterbending healer and be able to patch him up right away. He hoped that Katara was around so that she could do that healing crap she’s so good at, and then she would call him an idiot for getting hurt, and then they could see what their next step would be. 

Someone came over to them, he does not know who, but it was a woman this time, and she was very close. Sokka could not open his eyes, but he could hear how close she was by the sound of her voice. “Who is…?” 

“It doesn't matter who he is, I asked for a medic!” The man roared. 

The woman actually sounded a little apologetic. “I’m sorry but all of the other healers are dealing with the critical soldiers right now, we don’t have anyone else to spare.” 

“Then get me someone who has a basic sense of healing!” 

He heard the woman run away, and that just left Sokka in a not so great mood. So the rest of the doctors were dealing with the soldiers? Could they not see that the brunette was currently undergoing _death_ at the moment and that he was this close into going towards the light? Sokka was literally dying and they were healing the soldiers? The water tribesman knows that he was far from a civilian, but didn’t regular people hold a higher precedence than soldiers because they're innocent or something? 

But Sokka was pulled out of his mushed thoughts, as he heard footsteps coming back towards him. The man’s chest vibrated again, and his authoritative tone became a little lighter. “Wait, you’re here?” 

“That doesn’t matter! What happened?” He heard someone say. 

It was another voice this time, and it was another male. But just like the man with the vibrating chest, he did not sound like a doctor with white hair and years of experience, he sounded like a kid. An older kid, someone like Sokka’s age, but a kid nonetheless. The blue eyed brunette sure as hell didn't want some inexperienced kid helping him when he was this close to literally dying, what the hell were these people thinking? He wanted some old man who’s helped a thousand different patients, not someone with basic medical experience. They were walking at this point, and the roars of all the other people slowly subsided, and Sokka knew he was in a room somewhere. He did not know if it was a good or bad thing, that he was being helped by people he did not know, or maybe he did, he just could not see them. But he did not recognize any of these voices. Maybe because he was not looking at the people who were speaking directly. If he could see them talk, he probably would be able to connect the dots and put the voice to the face, but he was so out of it. He should really just focus on the fact that he was being treated nonetheless, and just hope that he was going to get out of this in one piece. 

Finally, the man who smelled like cooked apples finally said, and what seemed to be a regretful tone, “He got struck by lighting.” 

_“Lightning?!”_ The other voice sounded pissed as hell, and it reminded Sokka of Katara’s voice when he hurt himself in an accident. “Put him on the cot!” 

Sokka felt himself being put on a bed, but it was more of a cot than anything else. It was one of the most uncomfortable things that he had ever laid on, and he was pretty sure that the beds in the Southern Watertribe were more comfortable than this. Seriously, just where the hell was he? He could have sworn that the Earth Kingdom had more comfortable beds then this, god!The lights inside of the room were so blinding, that he could not open his eyes to see just what was going on. But he knew that there was movement all around him, but just by one specific person. It was like someone was walking all around the room, opening cabinets and putting things right next to Sokka’s head. He could not see, at least not yet, but he was pretty sure that there was a metal table next to his cot, and the ‘healer’ was getting everything ready. 

“What are you doing?’ He heard the man say, the same one who smelled like apples. 

“I’m preparing to clean and close the wound. He’s already lost so much blood, and I don’t want him to lose anymore.” The healer says from next to him. The man, or boy, as the voice did sound a little young, was right next to Sokka’s cot, fiddling with whatever it was that was next to him. “How long since the injury? Has he been responsive?” 

“He’s been in and out of it for the past couple of hours. He keeps murmuring to himself, just a bunch of gibberish neither of us could understand. I ran all the way here with my sister.” 

“And you carried him the entire time?” The ‘healer’ actually sounded quite surprised. Why did he though? This was Sokka’s savior, he would do anything for the tribesman! But when there was no response for a long while, the healer then said, “I need you to go back outside and get me a tub of water, iced. I already have a rag, just so I can put it over his head. Can you do that for me?” 

“I’m not a child!” The voice scolds. And _where_ has Sokka heard that voice before?! It was like at the edge of his mind, but he just could not connect the voice to the face. He wished he could just open his eyes and see clearly, but everytime he does he just sees white. Why did pain have to be such a bitch? 

He heard footsteps move to leave the room, but the healer next to him called out, “Wait!” 

“What is it?” The man who smelled like apples sounded annoyed, “You said we don’t have much time!” 

“I know, but what’s his name?” His name was Sokka. 

“I… I don’t know.” Rude. The guy saves his life and he doesn’t even know his name? What kind of bullshit was that? 

“You don’t know.” The healer repeats. 

“Why is that important?!” 

“It just is! It helps, now do you know it or not?” 

“...I think it’s Sokka.” 

“Perfect. Now go!” Sokka heard a door open and shut, and now he was alone with the healer. He does not know much about the boy, or man, or whoever this guy was, but Sokka thinks he would have preferred the man who smelled like cooked apples then this guy. But when Sokka really thinks about it, he did not know the cooked apple guy much either, just that he had saved him from dying in a cave. But at least he knew that his savior had good intentions, why else would he save him from dying in a cave all by himself? “All right. Sokka, is it? I need to know if you’re responsive, or at least a little there.” 

He hears the healer’s voice get closer to him, and Sokka actually takes back everything he just said about the guy. The boy’s voice was actually kind of calming, it made the blue eyed brunette want to close his eyes and take a nap. Yeah, but that was not going to happen, as the healer’s hand palmed the left of his check. The boy actually had pretty big hands for his hand, and they were quite warm, a pleasant warmth. The healer’s thumb gely rested on Sokka’s tan left eyelid, and the boy slowly lifted his forward, opening Sokka’s baby blues for the world to see. But the water tribesman did not know just what he was expecting, considering that he was still in so much pain that he could not see. He could only see the outline of the room he was in, and nothing else. The room he was in was pretty tiny, and looked like it was a medical room of some kind. There were drawers and cabinets all around them, so that must mean that they had to be in a medical wing or something. It was late at night, as there were fires lit all around the room, which must have sucked for the healer since there was little light to work with. And speaking of the healer, Sokka could kind of make him out. The boy had dark hair and tan skin, and Sokka felt an urge of happiness. The kid must be a Water Tribe healer, he looked like he could be one of them. Well, kind of. Sokka’s vision was so blurry, but the healer had sharper features than a lot of the other tribesmen do, but they came in all sorts of shapes and sizes! It all made sense now, maybe that was why he sent his savior to get a tub of water, so that he could heal him with it! 

Sokka wonders just how that’s gonna feel, but he was more focused with the light that was now in his eyes. The brunette does not know how the waterbending healer was getting the light so close to his eyes, as it looked like he did not have a torch in his hand, but he was anyway. The healer then asked, “Sokka? Can you hear me?” 

Um… kind of? He was pretty out of it, if he was being honest. But he had to try. His own voice croaked out, “...ss..ees.” 

“Great! You’re not a hundred percent, but you're there. Now, Sokka, I’m going to give you the rundown of what’s going to happen. I don't know if you can really comprehend what I'm saying, but I'm going to say it anyway, hmm?” The boy’s voice sounded so relieved when he found out that Sokka was indeed at least a little conscious. He felt the healer’s presence step a few feet away from him and back on the table next to Sokka’s head. He heard the young boy move around the contents on top of it, saying, “Okay. This is what’s going to happen: he’s going to come back with the tub of ice water and that’s when things are going to get serious. I’m going to clean the wound with some of the water, and then I’m going to rub some of the numbing herbs in and around the wound. Then, I’m going to close the wound. Sounds simple enough, right?” 

It honestly sounds like the boy was more likely saying all of his stuff for his own sake then for Sokka’s. But he trusted him. It was better to have someone who took the classes than someone who has no idea of what they were doing. The boy went on, “But here’s the tricky part: No matter what happens, no matter how painful, I need you to: Stay. A-Wake. Can you do that for me? It is of utmost importance.” 

Stay awake? Why did he have to do that? He thought he was already doing a good job at doing that, and he did not even know he had to in the first place. This healer was kind of weird, asking Sokka to do basic things like simply stay awake. DId he not already check to see if he was awake by putting that strange light in his eyes, what more did he want from the brunette? 

Suddenly, Sokka hears a door open, and it must have been the cooked apple guy bringing back the tube of ice water. But from what Sokka was hearing, it sounded like there was more than just the man who had left, now it sounded like there were more people. He heard multiple footsteps coming inside of the room, and Sokka was skilled enough to know that there were more than two people coming in. After a while of creeping and becoming more stelful around the world, one learns to count how many people there are just by their footsteps. Sokka knows that there were more than two people, but after that number, he was not so sure. He tried to open his eyes again to see how many people there now were inside of the tiny room, but all he could see was fuzziness now. The white had subsided from his vision, as he was still so far out of it that his eyes had decided to take a break and chill for the rest of the night. He could still only see the blurriness of the fire lit torches inside of the room, along with the healer at his side, but other than that, he was done for. He wished he could see at the moment, as he wished to know just how many people were inside watching him, but he was in so much pain that he did not care. He just wanted the healer to start his waterbending magic and get this over with.

The healer next to him said, “Great, you’re back! You can set it down right here.” 

Sokka heard a small grunt as someone set down what sounded like a metal bucket at the edge of his bed. As the bucket was set down, the water tribesman heard the gentle slush of the ice inside hitting the metal walls of the bucket. He heard the healer next to him sigh as he leaned down, hearing the ice inside of the bucker move all around before the healer stood back up. And all of a sudden, Sokka felt an ice cold rag hit the top of his sweating forehead. It was not until the freezing rag hit the top of his head that he realized that he was as hot as the sun. And that there had been a raging pounding roaring through his head, it was actually quite distracting now that Sokka put a little bit more focus on it. But he could not, as he needed to snap out the delirious state he was in and try to figure out where he was. Either way, he was grateful that the healer took notice of this and decided to do something about it. 

“Are you sure it’s wise to surround him like this?” It was a woman’s voice this time. It was most definitely not the same woman who the cooked apple guy had approached earlier, no this woman was different. Her voice was coming from the otherside of the bed, opposite of the healer. Her voice was actually kind of deep, but not a bad deep. Like a sexy kind of deep. But she also sounded so… bored? Like she would rather be somewhere else then watch Sokka currently die on a cot in who knows where he was.Dang, what was this girl’s problem? 

“No, it’s actually good that you all are here. You’re going to have to hold him down for the next couple of minutes.” The healer said. 

“Why? Do you think he’s gonna try and run ro something?” Okay, now this voice was a most definite contrast to the other voice. While the woman who sounded bored’s voice was deep and a little attractive, this was just so… young and girly. The girl in question sounded so out of place, especially in this ominous room with nothing but torches for light. “It’s not like he’s in any condition to fight back?”

“First, I’m going to clean the wound with the water, and then the numbing herbs. Can one of you take these leaves and quickly make it into a paste? You can use the water to start.” 

“I’ll do it.” Wow, Sokka did not expect the bored woman to volunteer so quickly. He heard movement again, as if a person was going to the otherside of the room, and then a slight pounding. And it sounded exactly like herbs being crushed and being put into a paste. 

“Thank you. Now can any of you try and hold him down?” 

“If you think I’m going to touch that _peasant,_ then you are poorly mistaken.” 

Okay, now Sokka has definitely heard that voice before. It was another voice, and what seemed to be the final one, as the room was just too small to be able to hold another person. Sokka was talking as if he could actually see it, but he was begging to see outlines, so that was a start. But the woman’s voice was coming from the far corner of the room, unlike all of the others who were surrounding Sokka’s bed. It was kind of strange too. Why was the woman so compared to everyone else who was right at the edge of Sokka's bed, moving all around him. He was just still so out of it to truly determine just where it was coming from. Just the guy who smelled like cooked apples, he knew the man’s voice, but he could not connect the mouth to the face.The woman’s voice from the other side of the room was low and raspy, but not bored and deep like the other female’s was. There was just something more going on with that voice, and it made Sokka’s heartbeat race a little faster, making the wound on his chest a little more apparent. So these two, the woman with the sharp tongue and the man with the authoritative tone must have known one another, but just how were the two of them connected somehow? He did not know that many people with these kinds of traits, especially those who sounded as negative as they did. Well, at least his savior from the cave seemed to actually care if Sokka lived or died or not, especially since he saved him from a crushing death. If the painful gash in his chest did not kill him, the crumbling rocks that had been above would have surely will. 

He heard a soft growl next to him one the same side that the healer was standing, but he was pretty sure that it was not coming from Sokka’s medic. “You’re the one that caused this.” 

The woman on the other side of the room scoffed. “And should I care if some peasant like him lives or dies? We just had one of the most glorious victories we’ve ever had brother! We should be outside celebrating.” 

“Celebrating while people out there are literally dying from their wounds?” His savior sounded so angry, and for some reason, Sokka seemed to be used to the tone. “If you’re not going to help him, I will. It would be dishonorable otherwise” 

“I’ll help you! He seems like a fun guy! I hope he makes it so we could party one day at the celebrations!” The young girl from the otherside of the bed chimed in again, and she seemed genuinely happy to help Sokka.the brunette was actually kind of relieved that there were people that wanted him to get better, unlike Mrs. Debby downer in the corner over there. And he takes back everything he said about Queen Boredom over here. At least she was willing to help him and do something instead of just standing there. 

“Thank you.” He heard the healer say. The medic sounded grateful for the help. “Okay. You, grab him by the shoulders. And you, press both of his ankles together and push down against the bed, In fact, you could even sit on them so he does not move his feet too much so he doesn’t kick you in the face.” 

“Roger that doc!” Sokka now felt pressure on his ankles, as if someone was now sitting on them. The sudden pressure did make him jolt for a bit, feeling a little more trapped then he would have liked. 

He then felt two large hands grasp at his shoulders, and he immediately stopped. “Stop doing that, you’re just going to hurt yourself even more! Wait, can he even hear me?” 

“He’s a little responsive, but not much. Can’t tell if he can understand us or not, but I’m pretty sure he’s s out of it he doesn’t even realize where he is. Get ready, yout two, I’m going to start soon..” Sokka heard the bucket of ice water slush around again, like a hand had dipped in and out in a few sudden motions. The healer was now right above him, and his voice had become a little louder, maybe so that Sokka could hear him. His tone had become a little more authoritative as well, much like the cooked apple guy who was holding his shoulders down. “All right, Sokka, remember what I said before? I’m going to clean your wounds, numb it with the paste, and close the wound. Now, for me to clean it, I’m going to have to touch in and around the wound, okay? Same thing with numbing. I’m going to start now. It’s going to hurt.” 

Sokka then felt another ice cold rag dab around his wound, and his body immediately convulsed.

“Woah!” He heard the girl say from atop of his legs. 

“Hold him down!” His savior said from within his ear. 

He knew that the girl sitting on top of his ankles was slim and small, as the weight she was putting on them was not much. But she was still adding pressure to them nonetheless, pushing her body down so that Sokka does not move. His savior still had his hands on his shoulders, making sure that Sokka’s upper body did not move as well, keeping him still. And the brunette was making both of their jobs hard as hell, because every time the healer dabbed or dragged the rag across his chest, he couldn’t help but move in agony. Oh gods, the pain had become so much apparent as the healer kept dabbing the cold rag around his wounds. He already thought he was in so much pain already, but the healer just had to go and make everything so much worse for him. The wound in his chest already burned like nothing he had ever experienced before, but now with the mark e being exposed to something so cold, it was like his body was in shock at the sudden change in temperature. Why did the healer say it had to be cold water? Would lukewarm or hot water not work the same? And why the hell was the healer not waterbending the cold water to clean off all the blood instead of using a rag. He knew that there must have been blood all over his body at this point, but he just did not know the extent of it. When he was struck, he sort of passed out and woke back up in the cave, not being able to see, and not knowing if he was going to make it out alive. And he knew it was basic knowledge to clean out a wound to keep it from getting dirty. He does not know the full science of it, but he knows from the healing scrolls from the Northern Water Tribe that a wound must not get dirty, or else it will get worse. 

Sokka does not know when, but he knows that he was crying. With every dab, and every drag, he could not help but let out a sob of pain. And was when he realized that the room had gone awfully quiet, that no one else was making a sound. It was like all of the voices that were spanking over him, discussing on whether to help him or not had ceased and everyone had gone mute. The only thing that Sokka could really focus on, was the person that was pushing his shoulders down, keeping him from hurting himself even more. He could hear his savior's heavy breathing from about a foot away from him, and Sokka then decided that he was going to focus on that. He knew it was weird, but as he sobbed, he tilted his head over to his savior’s feeling the man’s breath as it hit his face. On any other day, Sokka would have found it gross that someone was breathing on him, but today was no other day. Sokka was on a cot in a room somewhere, currently trying not to die, and the only thing keeping him sane was this stranger's hot breath hitting his face. Sokka’s nostrils were too wound up with snot to really smell the man’s breath, but he imagined that it would match the aroma of cooked apples, much like the man’s over all smell. 

But just as fast as it started, it was over. Yet Sokka still felt like it was an eternity with the healer cleaning his wound with the rag and the two others holding him down. The healer then said, “You’re very strong, Sokka. You’re doing a very good job at staying awake. Now, I’m going to add the paste soon so the next part won’t be as painful, okay?” 

“Why must you coddle him? This is a waste of time. You’re wasting perfectly good resources on soldiers who actually need it.” the woman from the corner of the room spoke up, and Sokka wanted nothing more than to slap the shit out of her. Did she not just see that the brunette had just undergone some of the most painful experiences of his life And she was just going to stand there and tell him to get over it? 

Sokka was thankful that the healer held the brunette’s sentiment, and said in a way more respectful tone then Sokka would have said, “Belittling him won't make it any better. And patients react better to their name being called out to them.” There was a pause. “Is the paste done yet?” 

“Yes.” The Queen of Boredom finally spoke up again, and even though she uttered only one word, Sokka knew it was her. 

“Thank you. All right, Sokka, this is going to hurt again, but the numbing should take effect after a few minutes. You won’t be able to feel _nothing,_ but it will be easier than the cleaning, okay?” 

The healer had not even given Sokka a warning this time, he just started rubbing the paste on his chest right after he finished talking. Sokka jolted again, but this time, he did not cry, not like he did with the cleaning. He could feel the healer's individual fingers rub all around his chest, so Sokka knew that the man/boy must have been spreading the paste around with his own fingers, not with a rag. It makes sense actually, since it would be much easier to get the paste in those nooks and crannies with fingers instead of a rag or something. But the thing was, those ‘nooks and crannies,’ were currently Sokka’s wounds and they hurt like a motherfucker every time the healer put his fingers on them. He decided to save himself from dignity and instead of full on sobbing, he decided that whimpering was his best option. He decided to go back to feeling the pulse of his savior’s breath on his face, but this time the man’s breath was a little lighter. It was probably because the healer said that the hard part was over, which was a good sign. 

“There. Done.” The healer said, raising his delicate fingers off his chest. 

“What next?” The Queen of Boredom asked. 

“Next, we’re going to wait a couple of minutes and close the wound.” The healer said. “It shouldn’t take that long. It’ll give me time to get ready anyway.” 

“How are you going to close it?” The girl sitting on his ankles asked. 

“It’s… not going to be pretty.” Is all the healer supplies to the girl. He felt the medic’s presence next to him disappear for a second, but the door of the room did not open, so he knew that the healer did not go far. He was still being pinned down by the girl and the man who smelled like cooked apples, so he was going to go nowhere at the moment. The healer was on the far side of the room when he said, “Even though the numbing is taking place, it’s still going to hurt, at least a little bit. Please hold him down with the same force as before.” 

“Why are you heating that up?” The man who smelled like apples asked. Wait, heating what up? “What are you going to use that for?” 

“Being where we come from, but pretty sure we _all_ know what I’m going to use this for.” What the hell did that mean? “I’m sure we’re all familiar with cauterization.”

“We don’t have stitches?” His savior asked. 

“We don’t have _anything._ Everything’s being used up by the other soldiers, we don’t have any more to spare.” The healer sounds so apologetic. “Some of the supply runners are gonna be here by tomorrow, but we need to do this now. Or else he might not make it, he’s already lost so much blood. Hold him down.” 

“The better question is, why are we even doing this in the first place?” The room went silent again. “He’s Water Tribe, can’t we just let him die?”

Wait… what? What was going on? Sokka knows that he was pretty out of it, he was in so much pain that he could not even utter a chrent word at the moment, but he knew he heard that correctly. The woman in the corner of the room had just clearly stated that they should kill him solely because he was from a Water Tribe, but that made no sense. Was the healer not a waterbender who was going to heal his wounds with that magic crap, the same way that his sister does? He does not know where he truly was, but there was no way he was somewhere else other than an earth or Water medical hospital or something of the sort. He knows that there were solides in another room somewhere, injured just like he was, and yet he was alone in this room, with people he did not know of. Sokka needed to focus. He tried his best to open his eyes, but his mind wanted to fight him. No, he was going to see just where he was and who was taking care of him. He needed to know, just for the sake of his own sanity and safety. If someone in this room really did not want him to live for the sake of him being from the Southern Water Tribe, then he needed to get the hell out of there fast. They were still holding him down, so there would be no room for escape, but he had to try. 

Sokka opened his eyes, and looked up towards the ceiling. His vision was still fuzzy and blurry, but at the moment he did not give a damn. This was a time of mind over matter, of the brain over the body. He was pretty sure that Aang once said that they had more control of their bodies then they thought they did, so Sokka just had to pray that this was going to work. For the first couple of seconds, it did not work, everything was still so fuzzy. He grunted in frustration, and he knew that all eyes were on him now, that they were looking right at him. Sokka turned his head to try and look at the healer, and much to his surprise, something was coming. He could spot two bodies on the right side of his bed, looking down at him, but their faces were too blurry for him to see. Sokka shook his head and then looked forward and saw that a girl was indeed sitting on his ankles, looking at him. His vision was getting better, but much. But he could have sworn there was a smile on her face though. He looked to the right and saw another girl in the corner of the room, who seemed to have taken a step forward. But the last one, the one who was holding Sokka’s shoulders down, was grabbing him by the shoulders and looking at the blue eyed boy directly in the eyes. 

And at that moment, Sokka’s vision became crystal clear, and he looked right into the scar that shimmered gold at the center.

Sokka could not look away from them. His eyes scanned all around the room. His heart raced as he looked at each and every one of them. His eyes immediately darted to Queen Boredom, and he was greeted with one of the most piercing looks he’s ever gotten in his life. This was the same girl who used those ninja stars to try and kill him time and time again, and now there was a bowl of paste in her hands. Wait, _she_ was the one who mashed the herbs into a paste? Why the hell was she trying to help him when she had tried to kill him again and again? He could not take that piercing glare anymore, and Sokka’s eyes scattered down to his feet and saw that there was a girl in a crop top and a long braid that hit the bed as she sat. She looked down at Sokka with those big brown eyes of hers, smiling down at him with those perfect teeth of hers. Sokka probably would have found her cute if he did not know just how deadly she truly was, especially when she had the ability to take someone’s bending at will. He thinks that she’s fingered out that he was able to finally see her and register what was going on, as when their blue and brown eyes locked, that smile got even wider. 

“I think he’s awake now.” The girl snitched on him. 

Suddenly, the figure in the corner took another step forward, and if Sokka was in a worser state, he would have pissed his pants. Because in the corner of this tiny room, was none other than Princess Azula, the same girl who has tried to kill him and his friends over and over again. Well, to be more specifically, Aan g has always been her goal, it was just that the rest of them were collateral damage. The girl had no heart, the girl had no soul, and he was sure as hell she was the one who does not care whether he lives or dies. All she wanted in this world was to please her own father, the same guy that Aang had to fight in order to keep the world from being taken over or completely destroyed in the process. And yet, she was somehow here, in the corner of this room he was somehow dragged to, looking over at him with those golden eyes of hers that were ever so curious. Azula’s glance was not like that of her friend’s, Queen Boredom, no, it was something else entirely. Azula’s were piercing, they always were, but this time, they had a hint of curiosity in there as well, like she was interested to see what was going to happen next. And he did not want to let her find out, he sure as hell was not going to be part of some game of hers. Sokka wanted to run, he wanted to hide, he wanted to find his boomerang and threw it so far into her head that it would shatter her skull and they would finally be rid of her one and for all. 

When Azula took another step forward, Sokka growled and tried to jump for her, but he had forgotten right then that he was being held down by two people. Sokka did not care though, he would sure as hell die from this wound in his chest then let that girl anywhere near him. The girl on his ankles said to the princess, “I don’t think he likes you very much!” 

“Stay still!” 

Oh no. No. Sokka’s eyes skidded up to the man that was holding him by the shoulders, and he was instantly greeted with that scar once again. He could not believe his eyes. Here, in this room with him, was none other than Prince Zuko himself, the guy that had come and attacked his village. The same guy that had traveled around the world, stalking them and trying to kidnap Aang for the sake of getting his ‘honor’ back. Zuko was here, and his face was inches from his, the fellow teen’s hot breath hitting his face, and it was no longer a relaxing sentiment. And the prince actually kind of smelled like… cooked apples. No, this could not be. There was no way in hell that Prince Zuko, the same guy that, just like his sister, had tried to kill him on multiple occasions,was the one that had saved him from the collapsing cave. Zuko was just like his sister. He did not care about any of them, all he cared about was getting the Avatar back to his father, making sure that he would become a prince again. He was the literal personification about his entire country! The Fire Nation did not care about anything but themselves, and of course the prince of the nation would agree. 

But… Why did he save Sokka then? They were all here. The entire Fire Nation crew were the ones that were taking care of his wounds, the ones that were trying to keep him alive. Well, at least the rest of them were, and even tough Azula had taken a few steps from her corner, she was still a few ways away from the bed. And Sokka was sure as hell going to keep it that way. Why was the brunette here, in this hospital room, surrounded by the very people who have tried to kill him again and again? The same ones who have shown no remorse in hurting other people. These people have burned villages down, killed millions of people in the sake of making sure they would stay the ‘superior race.’ there was no good in them, so why were they helping him? Sokka wanted to push the prince off, push them all off of him, and tell them to get fucked, but he could not. He was still too weak too, and just because he was at least a little conscious, the pain in his chest stopped him from doing any moving. 

And then Sokka’s eyes met Zuko’s again. The prince then had an undsure look on his face, asking, “Sokka…?” 

And that was when Sokka saw it from the corner of his eye. It was as if something was glowing, and he could not quite catch just what it was. So, Sokka turned his head and looked to see just what it was. The healer standing next to the Queen of Boredom, was looking down at Sokka with nothing but sympathy edged on his features. Through his blurred vision and drunkenness, Sokka honestly thad thought that the man was a waterhealer, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Especially when the kid was wearing Fire Nation armor without a helmet, exposing that wavy hair of his. Sure, the man, or should he say boy, as the kid looked just as old as everyone in the room, had tan skin and dark hair, but he was so far from the Water Tribe that could be imaginable. His features were far too sharp, too sharp eyes, too sharp eyebrows. The Fire Nation had such a distinct look to them, and it always radiated with ‘do not fuck with me,’ and the healer in question had that same statement throughout his looks. And not only that, but what really sealed the deal was the medic’s golden eyes. His eyes were so similar to that of the Queen of Boredom standing next to him, to Azula’s, to _Zuko’s._

But what really caught Sokka’s eyes was the metal rod in the healer’s hand, which at the very tip of it was glowing orange. What the hell was he going to do with that thing…? 

The healer must have realized that Sokka was staring at it, and he took a step forward. The man still had that sympathetic look in his eyes when he said, “This is going to hurt, Sokka.” 

Oh HELL no!

Sokka began to convulse violently, trying his best to get free of the grasp that the two other nationalists had on him. He did not care if he had a wound that hurt like a bitch. The numbing paste had done a good job so far, but he could still feel it sting like mother fucker. But he still did not care. He did not trust anyone in this room, for all he knew this could be some form of torcher to get him to talk about Aang, or maybe they were just using him as leverage in the war! No, he would not allow them, he needed to leave, he needed to get back to his friends, to Katara-

“Mai!” He heard a voice call from above him. 

All of a sudden, he felt another force, this time, in his midriff, holding him down with two slender hands. Sokka looked down his body and found that the Queen of Boredom had indeed taken hold of the center of his body, leaving him no choice but to take what was coming to him. The healer then stepped closer, and he was now only a few inches from his bed. Sokka was profusely sweating now, as if he was not before, but he just felt it right then, feeling a single drop go down his forehead. The healer stood his legs straight, but leaned his back and upper torso down, putting the metal rod right over his wound. The medic still had a sorry look in his amber eyes, but he was also so focused that it made Sokka feel like some science animal or something. 

“This is going to hurt, Sokka.” The healer said again, for what seemed to be the last time. “But remember when I said you were strong? You still are, and I’m gonna need you to be a little more stronger.” 

“Hurry the hell up, Vei!” He hears the prince say above his head. 

And right before the healer put down the piece of metal, Sokka’s eyes found himself looking right into Azula’s. Time stopped in the room for a moment, as the two of them stared at one another, and right before the healer put the burning piece of metal on Sokka’s opened wound, the Princess of the Fire Nation had a glint of anticipation in her eyes. 

And Sokka screamed.


	2. The Ship

Chapter 2: The Ship

**Sokka:**

When Sokka woke up, he screamed, jolting himself forward before falling right back down in pain. 

Sokka's eyes immediately jetted around the room, trying to take in his surroundings to make sure that nothing would pose an immediate threat to him. Especially what he saw last night, with nothing but shimmering gold looking down at him with piercing gazes. The blue eyed hunter looked around the room, noticing, that in fact, this was not the same room he had been taken to last night. Or, he actually does not know how long it has actually been. All he knew was that it was daytime, but he did not know if he slept last night, a couple of days ago, or maybe even a week. But either way, this was not the same room, as it was a little larger than the one he had been in. There were no cabinets or torches lighting up the room, but there were in fact, a few shelves scattered throughout the room, with tiny lamps on some of them. The lamps on the shelves were not lit, only because there was a window on the other side of the room, exposing the bright light of the midday sky. On a regular day, Sokka probably would have enjoyed just looking up at it, but he was too busy trying to figure out where he was. Sokka was no longer lying on the hard cot he had been put onto last night, he was laying in a larger bed, that was softer then Appa’s fur. Sokka would have appreciated the bed more if he was not freaking the hell out at the moment, but he should take his blessings where he could. But what really made Sokka uncomfortable, in contrast to what the bed was doing, was the paintings of the Fire Nation all scattered on the walls of the room. They showed the beautiful geography of the Fire Nation, with yellows, reds and pinks, and if the blue eyed boy did not think it to be the home of the conquers of the planet, he would have thought the paintings were nice. He was just glad that it was art of sceneries, and not actual people… 

He was going to sit up again, as his head was resting on the soft white pillows of the bed, and he decided that slow and steady was the best approach. There was no bed frame, just the hard metals walls of the room, so Sokka did his best to press his back against the wall, and it made noise in the process. The metal wall was a perfect solution to fix the cold sweat his dreams have just conflicted on him, and he sighed in a bit of relief. But only a little bit. 

Sokka shook his head though after a few minutes, and looked down towards his chest, and he immediately gasped. Where the hell did his clothes go? He was no longer wearing his blue water tribe gear that he had not changed for almost a year, no. Instead the glorious blue was traded for a bloodlust red, along with oranges and yellows. Sokka removed the white blanket that was covering his legs and let out a quick sigh, finally being able to see his entire attire. The Fire Nation, much like all of the other countries of the world, loved putting layers on their clothing. But at least the Water Tribe actually had a reason to, considering that they were both in the fucking North and South Poles. And right now, he was no exception. He wore what seemed to be a toga that went down past his knees, along with black baggy pants underneath it. And even though Sokka hated being in these things, what made everything a little worse was the weird circular shoulder pad things that were over his shoulders. The thing even went all the way up to his middle neck, forming a type of collar for him. If Sokka had the energy to vomit right then, he would have done so in the process. Just who the hell did they think they were, changing his clothes without his consent?! And where the hell did they put them, were they in this room somewhere? Sokka’s blue eyes quickly scattered the room, but there were nothing but shelves and lamps and paintings, no storage space or compartments anywhere. What kind of room was this? 

But one thing on his body that was an eyedropper, was the wrap that was around his chest. Sokka’s hand went up to the bandage and had the urge to take it off and see just what was underneath it, but he thought it would be better to leave them where they were. That ‘healer’ from last night seemed to actually want to help him, but he knew that he could not trust someone who wore that Fire Nation symbol with pride. 

Oh, god, just what the hell had Sokka gotten himself into? 

Out of all the people that could have saved him from dying in that cave, why did it have to be… _ Zuko.  _ The blue eyed teen hated the way the prince’s name dripped off of his tongue, but Sokka had to acknowledge that the other male did in fact save him, there was no other way to deny that. But then the guy had the audacity to take Sokka to who knows where, and make some stranger heal his wounds. Sokka was sort of going in and out of it after he got struck, but he knew that Zuko had told the healer that he had carried Sokka for hours before they had arrived wherever the hell Sokka got help. There was no reason someone as two-faced as that guy to do it without a reason behind it. Why could the prince not just let him die in that cave, what more did he want from the hunter? It was not like Sokka could be any use to him, especially with him being in this state of injury. The brunette could barely sit up without wincing, what made any of them think that he was actually useful for something? One thing he will say about Zuko, was that at times, the fellow teen could be resourceful and get things done. But sometimes, the black haired boy did mess up, which either made Sokka feel bad for the kid, or just piss his pants with joy. But right now, Sokka did not have that much joy in him, as he was in a room that someone had put him in, in clothes that someone had put on him, and he could barely sit up straight without hurting himself. Is this what Zuko wanted? For him to suffer instead of dying a quick death? What more did he want from Sokka? 

And they were all there. The depressing knife girl, the acrobat bitch, and the princess of the inferno. Zuko had literally taken Sokka into the ring, and there was no way that Sokka could have fought all of them at once. Sokka was not that skilled of a fighter, but he was sure he could have taken the depressing girl and the acrobat bitch one at a time. The Queen of Boredom, as Sokka now likes to call her, had those stiletto things that could go through him in a second, but Sokka was sure that if he had his boomerang, he would have been able to block them. Another thing about the girl was her piercing gaze, and if the flying pieces of metal that came Sokka’s way didn’t kill him, then that sure would have. And Sokka thinks that he and the acrobat bitch could have had a fair fight. Yeah, she had that ability to take people's bending away, but jokes on her, Sokka can’t can’t bend. But she could also do that thing where if she hit enough pressure points then she could paralyze someone, so all Sokka really had to do was avoid her touching him. He knows it sounds easy in thought, but it was way more tougher in practice. And then there was…  _ Azula.  _ Yeah, there was no way in hell that he was going to be able to fight her. She would just snap her fingers and he would instantly be set on fire, and boom, the fight would be over. And she also scared the living daylights out of him, they all did actually, but there was just something different about the princess of the Fire Nation. With the other two, what he saw is what he got, but with Azula? One could never see just what game she was truly playing, and if he was even considered a piece in her game. 

And… she was the one that had struck him.

Oh, shit,  _ Aang.  _

Sokka immediately jerked up, trying to sit straight, but cursed himself as the wound in his chest was still far too raw for him to really do anything. It was just…  _ Azula  _ was the one that had caused him to have this strike in his chest, she was the one that had tried to hurt Aang. Well, she did. Sokka tried his best to do something, and when he saw Aang go into the Avatar state, and Azula taking the opportunity to kill him, he just could not take the chance. It was a stupid idea, he knows, but he could not help but try and stop the lighting from hitting the younger boy, to try and maybe sacrifice himself. But the princess’s lighting was faster than his lightning somehow split between the two of them. Sokka knows that electricity was something else that he truly did not understand, but maybe some of the Earth Kingdom’s scholars did. But what he did know about lighting, was that it was energy, sort of like fire, so that was why firebenders were able to take control of it. And when Azula struck him and Aang, that energy split between Sokka and the airbender. It sounded crazy when the brunette truly thought about it, but there was really no other way to explain it. And he has been so selfish. Only thinking about himself when he had no idea where his friends were at the moment. Did Aang make it out all right like he did? Okay, maybe he was not in the best condition, but he would most likely live, but he could not say the same for the other boy. And what about his sister, was she with the young Avatar? Where the hell was everybody, and where the hell was he? 

And that was when Sokka felt it. As his back was laid back against the metal wall, he immediately felt his entire body sway to the left, and then the right again, before he aligned himself right back to where he was. And he probably would have dismissed the entire thing, he had so much pain in his chest, and his mind was still a little out of it because of it, so it would probably just be that. But it was the noise that came from the circular window from the otherside of the room that caught his attention. He was not looking at the window, but he knows what water splashing on glass sounds like. At first he tried his best to deny it, to say that he was just imagining things, but when the sound of water hit the glass again, Sokka knew he was fucked. He needed to be sure though, as his blue eyes went to the glass window, and stared at it for a few seconds. Sokka had hope at first, but when he actually saw another splash of crystal clear water hit the window, his stomach dropped to the floor. 

Holy shit. How could he have not seen it before? The metal walls, the circular window. He was on a  _ fucking  _ boat. 

This was a thousand times worse than being in some prison somewhere in the middle of nowhere. They were moving him, but where the hell were they taking him? To some secret place where they were going to torture him, to try and get some information about Aang? He was sure that his sister and friends were able to escape the cav and get away from the siblings of death and misery, so maybe that was their game. To take Sokka to some place where no one would be able to find him, to either torute him, or use him as leverage to get to the Avatar. But wait, Ba Sing Se was in the middle of the Earth Kingdom, there was no water anywhere near it! There was the river to get inside of the city, but it was far too treacherous for Fire Nation ships to get through. So where the hell were they? Or more specifically, where the hell was he? Since he was on a ship, there had to be a crew somewhere around here, they probably knew? Fuck, just how long was he asleep for? The pit in his stomach just kept growing even bigger, and he knows it did not have the intention to stop. He thought it was just a night or maybe a day, but it took more than that to get to the ocean. Sokka does not want to calculate just how long it would take to get from Ba Sing Se to the ocean, as it only made his stomach even more uncomfortable. To be asleep when so many important these were happening around him

Sokka shook his head, decided that even though he was in pain, he should at least try and walk around, get a feel of his surroundings, but his movements were cut short. Something pulled at his legs when he tried to move them, and when he looked down, he realized that his right ankle was a little heavier than it should have been. Sokka’s blue eyes trailed down his body, which was still covered in the Fire Nation garb that someone had put on him, and his eyes opened as big as the moon. Sokka does not know how he did not realize it this entire time, especially when he removed the blanket and looked down at his feet. Surrounding his ankle, was a heavy iron lock, with a keyhole and everything, keeping his foot on the bed. The lock was attached to a chain that went when Sokka filled his eyes to the end of it, he found that it led to a ring on the wall, keeping it in its place. 

It was at that moment, that Sokka knew that the Fire Nation was not playing around. Like, what did he truly expect from people that all they know if murder and power? Sokka was already panicking before, he was trapped on a boat in the middle of who knows where, with people he had no idea about, and now he really could not go anywhere. The chain looked big enough to where he would be able to move around the room, but not big enough to leave out the door. It was like the chain represented the entire situation in personification. He knew he was trapped, kidnapped, whatever one could call it, and he was slowly accepting that, at least to the best of his ability, but seeing the chain made it all so real. He was chained on a boat, going somewhere he does not know, and his friends wouldn’t be able to find him because of it. If he was stationary, then his sister and friends, or fucking  _ someone  _ would be able to find him, but now that he was moving, it would be a thousand times harder to try and find him. And if he was in a prison, he would have found a way to escape. Yes, his people were sailors, but it would have been easier to escape on land, then it would be on water. And he knows that escaping a prison would not be easy, but he feels like it would have been a better choice then being on a boat. On a boat, he was trapped, there was nowhere to go other than the ocean, and Sokka was no waterbender, he could not do that crap that Katara could do above the water where she could float. He was fucked. 

Sokka does not know how long he was staring at the chain, but he knew that a couple of hours had to have passed. He walked around the room, trying his best to find an escape, but nothing seemed to be of viable entry. And it had been a pain when he tried to get up. It took him a few times to get to his feet, as the pain in his chest was becoming a little too much for him. But he found that it did get a little better as he walked around the room, finding himself being able to move a little more looser than he had been on the bed. Maybe he just needed to move around and shake the pain off, that could have worked, maybe. The brunette wanted to see just what was under the bandages, but he decided to focus on trying to get out of here. The circular window was made of a thick glass, and everything else was bolted down to the floor, so even if he wanted to throw something at it and at least attempt to break it, he could not. And the air vents in the room were far too small for Sokka to be able to crawl through them, no matter how skinny he was. Frustrated, Sokka sat down on the bed, with his head hitting the soft white pillow. It would have been to say that Sokka did not enjoy the softness, but the utter shear of fear that was boiling in his blood was something different altogether. 

The blue eyed brunette just laid there for a while, looking up at the ceiling. But then, the door of the room had swung open, revealing someone that Sokka did not expect. 

A boy came into the room, a tall one at that. He was not bulky like some of the regular Fire Nation soldiers were, and he was also quite young. His body time reminded Sokka of Zuko’s, but just thinking about the prince of the inferno left a sour taste in his mouth. But going back to the boy, he had dark black hair, along with tan skin, and some of the most golden eyes that Sokka had ever seen. The boy looked young, maybe about Sokka’s age or a little older, as he had a light stubble beard going on on his face. It did not take Sokka long to realize that this guy was the ‘healer’ that was in the process for healing his wounds back in that small room. And even though Sokka thinks the boy to be a soldier, the ‘healer’ was no longer wearing the typical Fire Nation armor that he was supposed to be wearing. Now, he was something a little less obnoxious, and a little more light. It was something that was more similar to what Zuko or Azula would wear when they were busy chasing them around the world, except this time the boy did not have sleeves, showing off his well toned arms. Sokka had never seen someone in the Fire Nation dress so casually like that because the only time he’s ever seen someone of the nation was when they were trying to kill him. The boy was handsome, there was no if or buts about it, but what he was wearing definitely took out any attraction that Sokka could have had for him. It was so different seeing him so clearly now, and how he felt like a fool for mistaking the guy for a waterbending healer. He looked so different from his people, he looked so… Fire Nation. 

He had a light look on his face, and even had the audacity to come into the room whistling, as if he did not have a care in the world. In his hands, was a plate of bandages and an assortment alike, plus a few herbs and a glass of water. Sokka did not realize how thirsty he was until he looked at the crisp glass, especially when it even had ice inside of it. Where the hell was he? It was a luxury to be able to have ice, only the super rich were able to do something like that. But wait, did the healer actually believe that Sokka was going to let him touch him, especially when he was nothing but a Fire Nation killer? And Sokka has not forgotten that the psychopath had decided to make things worse and put a piece of frucking bruning metal on his wound! Yeah, everyone in that small room had been a maniac, and he still did not forget the look of anticipation in Azula’s eyes right before the fiery hot meta had hit his skin. And sokka couldn't decide who was worse, Azula for being excited about his pain, or the healer for coming up with the idea and doing it in the first place. 

The healer was going to take a few more steps into the room, but when he and Sokka made eye contact, a surprised look came about his golden features. The two of them stared at one another for a couple of seconds, and Sokka had the urge to stand up and fight the guy. The chain was long enough to let him walk across the room, so he could take the guy if he wanted to. 

“You’re awake!” The boy sounded so surprised at the fact, and actually had a bit of happiness in his tone. “That’s great!” 

Sokka did not say anything.

“I’m glad.” He said, putting what seemed to be a genuine smile on his face. But Sokka did not care if it was genuine or not, he was still going to find a way to kick the guys ass. The healer took a couple of steps towards Sokka’s bed, and the water tribesman immediately felt himself tense. The soldier must have realized Sokka’s preserve, and stopped in his tracks. The healer’s amber eyes went from Sokka’s blue ones down to his chest, and he let out a long sigh. “Look, I already know how this is kind of going to go. I want to change your bandages, you’re not going to let me touch you cause you think I’m going to kill you. But this isn’t a battle field, we’re far from one, so if you could let me do my work, then I could get out of here and make you happy.” 

The soldier then went over to the night stand next to Sokka’s bed and set the try right on it. Since the night stand was empty, and it did not have a drawer for one to put things in, the tray would be fine where it was. The black haired nationalist began to fumble with a few things on the tray, biting his lip, most likely thinking about what kind of torture h could put Sokka under. But the brunette was not going to let him. The soldier was close now, way closer than what he was actually comfortable with, and so many ideas came through Sokka’s mind. Yes, he was weak at the moment, but that did not mean he was fully defenseless. The soldier was just a few feet away from the blue eyed brunette, Sokka could take him. Especially when he was so focused on the metal tray in front of him. Yes, the raven haired boy was a little taller than Sokka, but they had the same build essentially, so it would be an even fight, even though Sokka was wounded. And being that he was from the Fire Nation, the guy must have had a weapon on him somewhere, and Sokka would use it to cut himself from the chain that was wrapped around his foot. Then after that, Sokka would try and make his escape. This was a ship, so that meant there had to be life rafts somewhere on here. And he knows it was stupid, going off on a boat without a map in potentially the middle of the ocean, but if he could look at the stars, he might know just where he was. But to get all of that going, he had to take down the soldier in front of him. 

“Don’t think about it.” 

That had caught Sokka so off guard he actually jumped away from the healer’s voice. It was so strange too, when Sokka was in and out of consciousness in that tiny room filled with the demon spawns, the only voice that Sokka found calming was the healer’s. His tone had held nothing but sympathy, but also with a hint of authority, like a doctor talking to his assistants And Sokka guessed at that moment in time, that ‘s what exactly was Zuko and his crew. Just a bunk of assistants with a doctor calmly barking orders at them. And even though Sokka’s vision was fuzzy, he could see the sympathy in the healer’s eyes, or at least he thought he did. But right now, the soldier kept looking at him with one of the most piercing glares he had ever seen. It was so on brand from someone from the Fire Nation, with the golden glare. Yeah, that was what Sokka was going to call it. The Golden Glare. The ninja star girl had it, Azula had it, and most definitely Zuko had it. The only one that he had not seen give him a glare like that was the acrobat bitch, and considering that she did not have amber eyes, it made sense. And she was also happy all the time, and it freaked Sokka out to no end. 

“The captain wanted you to be chained down in the brig with nothing but a piece of metal for a bed. I’m sure it was nice for you to wake up in silk sheets, wasn’t it?” The boy gave a small smirk. There was nothing odd about the smile, and if this was any other day, Sokka would have dismissed it. But it was just those damn  _ eyes.  _ There was always something going on in them, in every single pair of golden eyes that Sokka has ever seen. Some ulterior motive that he could not place, and it always left him uneasy. “We had to argue with him to get you this room, especially when he has an entire crew sleeping in bunks a few decks below us. You're condition won’t get better on a metal bed, and if you try and do something, that’s where you’re going to end up.” 

Damn. So there goes the leverage of surprise. But what could Sokka really expect, this guy was a Fire Nation soldier, and if he was in kahoots with Zuko, and especially Azula, the guy could probably fight. But the fellow teen’s confession also confirmed that Sokka was in fact on a boat, but what kind of ship was this? He had to be on some warship, but what kind of warships had rooms where they could just be given out to people like Sokka? And it raises so many questions, like why the hell were they trying to make Sokka comfortable instead of sleeping in the brig? Was this some form of torture tactic? 

But then the soldier picked up what seemed to be a knife on the table, and Sokka immediately jolted on the other side of the bed, trying to get away from him as fast as possible. See? The guy was obviously trying to kill him! Sokka hissed from the otherside of the bed, “Don’t touch me!” 

“What-?” The raven haired male looked down at this hand, the one that Sokka was looking at. A look of realization crossed those golden eyes of his, and he looked back at the tribesman explaining, “I’m just going to cut and replace your bandages. It will only take like ten minutes tops.” 

“If you think I’m stupid enough to let you get anywhere near me with a knife, you’re crazy! Especially when you burned me with a piece of metal!” 

“Spirits, it’s called cauterization!” He tried to explain. The soldier put the knife back down on the tray and looked back at Sokka with an annoyed expression, which pissed him off. Why the hell was this guy getting frustrated when he was literally trying to kill him? “Listen, I know you don’t have these kinds of things in your tribe or whatever, so let me educate you: you can also close a wound by burning it. You’re a hunter right? Don’t you burn ropes and leaves to make stuff tighter?”

“Sometimes, but not on people, you prick!” Sokka spat at him. 

“Your wound isn’t going to heal if I don’t replace them. I know you know that.” 

“Then why don’t you just leave everything there, and I can do it myself?” He said, smiling at the taller boy. He knew that it was the most fakest smile he had ever put on, and he knew that the other guy was picking up on that fact. “There, does that fix the problem?” 

“Now if you think  _ I’m  _ stupid enough to leave you alone with a knife, then  _ you’re  _ crazy.” The guy huffed. There was still no way that Sokka was going to let him touch him. “This was way easier when you were unconscious. Look, I’m going to give you a few options. The first being that you be a good boy and let me change your bandages, and the guard comes by later and gets you a nice dinner. Or the second option, I can come back with a few guards and they could hold you down and I can change them then. Either way, this shit is happening, and I’ll leave you for a while to pick a choice. And I don’t-” 

The boy snapped his fingers. 

“-want things to get difficult.” 

Sokka stared at the boy’s tan hand for a couple of seconds, with the pit in his stomach becoming so hollow that he was sure it reached the ocean floor. There, at the tip of the healer’s finger, was a tiny little fire, dancing over the small rim of white of his finger nail. Of course. It made so much more sense now. The healer had burned that piece of metal himself, he did not need Zuko or Azula to heat it up, he could have just done it himself. The healer was a fucking firebender, how the hell did he not see that coming? He thought that since the boy was a healer, there would be no way that the Fire Nation would waste such a talent on simply being a medic. No, they would do what every other country did and force the bedners to be part of the military, to make them fight. It was just common knowledge at this point, and he even heard that back in the day his own tribe even used to do it to its benders. He could not imagine Katara being drafted like that, but the thought still popped up in his mind. Oh, Sokka had been such an idiot just now. Sokka has taken down plenty of benders before, they were not immortal, far from it. But to discount that from an opponent was such a big overstep, especially someone like a firebender, that did not need a form of their actual element to fight with. Firebenders were weird like that. Unlike water or earthbenders, who needed water or the earth to bend, firebender could just whip out fire at will without any real consequence. That was what made them tricker, that was what made the healer in front of him tricky. 

The healer’s sharp golden gaze disappeared as he closed his eyes. The noirette shook his head, the fire at the tip of his finger dissipating as he stood up and turned to the tray. The healer collected all of the items he had come in with, especially the knife which was unfortunate and stood with the tray in hand. He turned back to Sokka and said, “It’s going to be dusk soon, and I hope you’ll change your mind by tomorrow morning. I’m not going to risk your health because of your own idiocy.” 

The healer then swiftly trends around, leaving Sokka on the other side of the bed, staring down his back before he leaves the room. The amber eyed boy then held the tray by one hand so that he could grab the handle with the other, but before he closed the door, he stopped to look at the blue eyed tribeman one more time. 

“And the names Veila. But people just call me Vei.” ‘Vei’ gave Sokka another one of those piercing golden glare’s again, and the blue eyed boy knew that he was not fucking around. “Our kindness and hospitality only go so far, especially mine. I’m a little bit more patient than the other’s but maybe because I’m a man of science. I prefer to do things the easy way, but I promise if I need you chained up from the wrists to the ankles then so be it.And I always keep my promises.” 

And he shut the door behind him, leaving Sokka scared and a little turned on. 

  
  
  


-000- 

  
  
  


As Sokka laid on the white silk sheets, he stared over at the window, seeing that dusk was just about to end. Night was going to be soon upon them, and Sokka needed to get ready for what was about to happen. His head was laying on the soft pillows that he had woken up on, and he turned it to look over at the door, which was closed shut. Sokka knew he could be an idiot at times, but there were moments when he pulled through. He could name a thousand different occasions of where he saved his and his friends' asses, and right now he had found out a way to save his own. It was a simple plan really. The soldier had let it slip that a guard was coming by later in the evening to bring him his dinner, so that would give Sokka a chance to make his escape. When the raven haired boy had opened the door to come in and leave, Sokka did not see a guard standing on the outside, which was a big mistake on their part. People always underestimated him, and even though his ego had a problem with it from time to time, this was one of those cases where it actually helped him. 

When the healer had left, his words and actions had stuck with the brunette. On the outside, the healer seemed to be a genuine person, actuallying looking like he wanted to help Sokka. But what kind of healer threatens his patients by either burning them or setting them on fire. Sokka knew he was not being the easiest of patients, as there was no way in hell that he was going to let the Fire Nation bastard touch him, especially when he knew now that he was a firebender, but that still should be no excuse to hurt someone. Didn’t halears have some kind of code that they abide by, like not hurting others and only doing what’s right for their health? He could have sworn that Katara had said something like that when they were in the Northern water Tribe, right before that old bastard wanted to teach her real water bending. She had spent some time with some of the healers, and had said that they live by a code: only use their bending to heal, or in self defense. It was something honorable that Sokka could get behind, but this was the Fire Nation. The prince was always going on about his honor and shit like that, but he’s the one burning villages to the ground, hurting everyone he could get his hands on to get to the avatar. So he should not expect ‘Veila’ or whatever the boy decided to call himself, to be any different. He was just like the rest of them, and if he was willing to burn Sokka for the sake of ‘helping him’ then he was no healer at all. Just a soldier. 

And speaking of soldiers, Sokka heard the metal door of his room make some noise. The metal knob turned, unlocking the door from the outside, and began to open. The brunette closed his eyes, and he knew it was game time. 

Sokka could not see the guard, but he heard his heavy footsteps as he walked into the room, stopping to look at the water tribesman. The blue eyed brunette thought that his acting skills were pretty good, but the soldier did not move from his spot. Sokka could not see him, but he knew he was staring at him, as he kept letting out small moans of ‘pain’ every couple of seconds. Sokka had quickly doused himself with some of the water that the healer had left on his nightstand on his forehead, giving himself the illusion of sweat. But his heart raced as the soldier just stood there, not moving at all. DId he know that Sokka was not being genuine? The boy had seen a few plays in Ba Sing Se, he knew how to act, or at least he thought he did. But his acting skills paid off, as he heard the soldier let out a long sigh and make his way over to his bed. If Sokka’s heart was not racing before, it sure as hell was now. He could not see him, but he felt the soldier's presence just about a foot away from his bed, and Sokka was ready to strike. 

The soldier muttered, “I thought the kid said you were getting better. Should have had the ship’s doctor look at him instead of some rich kid…” 

He must be talking about Veila. But Sokka was too busy to think about that at the moment, and said, “...er.” 

“Huh?” He felt the soldier’s vice get closer to him, and it was only until the soldier's face was a little more than a foot away from him when Sokka struck. “Say something…?” 

“...oser…” 

“Hmm? Did you say closer?” 

And once the guard was close enough, Sokka’s blue eyes opened so fast he was pretty sure the guard did not catch it. For a few milliseconds, Sokka was able to see the guard’s dark brown eyes, looking down at him with a curious expression. The man seemed to have had kind eyes, but Sokka was too intimidated by the soldier’s armor to really care at this point. The man wore a helmet, so in that split second, Sokka raised his hand up and socked him in the chin. Or should he say  _ Sokkad  _ him in the chin? Ha, he was going to use that one later. But either way, it hurt like a bitch to even move his body an inch, and now he had moved his entire arm with the most force he had done in a while. The soldier had stumbled back, a few steps, clearly disorientated but not exactly unconscious, which was the brunette’s main goal. Sokka jumped off the bed, ignoring the pain in his chest, with the adrenaline over powering his senses and hurdled himself towards the man. The soldier moaned in what seemed to be pain, but Sokka pushed him down towards the floor with a thud and straddled his waist, lifting the gold and red helmet off of his head. The man had long brown hair put up in a bun and it looked to be so close to falling off. But Sokka did not care about that, and he quickly glocked the man on the side of his head, making sure that he was truly unconscious. 

When the soldier seemed to be really out of it, Sokka let out a sigh of relief, before he winced again. He got himself off of the soldier;s wasit and knelt next to the man, feeling the pain in his chest ever so apparent as he did so. Sokka wanted nothing more than to open the bandages and see just what was on the inside, but Sokka had more important things to get done. The tribesmen began searching all of the man’s pockets, trying to hopefully find a key, or some sort of weapon for Sokka to be able to get out of these chains. But all Sokka found was a thin kfine, and that would have to do. Sokka turned with the knife in his hand, and looked down at the chain on his ankle. Okay, he’s learned this kind of thing from Toph. She had once told him it was all about the tumblers. But Sokka knew it was easier for her, since she could see the tumblers considering her weird earth vision. So he was going to be on his own for this one. Sokka fumbled with the knife for a couple of minutes, putting the thin piece of metal in the key hole, and he tried for a long while. He was under so much stress at the moment, with the pain in his chest and the utter fear that someone could be looking for the guard at this very moment. Sokka does not know how much time passed, but he knew it was a little while, but once he heard the soft click of the keyhole, he smiled to himself. He put the knife down next to him and grabbed the cuff with both hands. Opening it up to reveal his tan ankle being a little more red then he would like, obviously irritated from the metal cuff. Sokka rubbed it for a second before he wobbly stood up. 

Sokka looked at the door, and then back down at the soldier. The man must have been a firebender, considering he only had a thin ass knife for a weapon. Sokka was glad he was able to take him, and that the man was not as smart as the healer that had come in a few hours ago. Veila was part of what seemed to be that crew of intellectual psychopaths, so of course he would know what Sokka was going to attack him with. But fortunately, the guard on the floor was not part of the same clan as they were, and that worked in Sokka’s favor. It hurt to lean down back to the floor, but Sokka did not have time to worry about that, and he prepared to remove the soldier's clothing off of him. 

And a few minutes later, Sokka had thrown those horrible Fire Nation casuals on the other side of the bed, and he was now completely dressed in the armor of a soldier. It was not a perfect fit, as the man who was now lying unconscious on the floor, fully naked except for his underwear, was a little bit more toned than Sokka was, and a little more shorter. But this would work for the time being, so he would not complain. He had eaten some of the food that the soldier had brought him, considering he does not know the next time that he was going to eat, and he scarfed the soup down as fast as he could. It was spicier than Sokka would care to admit, but it would do the job for now. 

But before Sokka left the room, he turned back towards the soldier, saying, “I wasn’t saying ‘closer.’ I was saying ‘loser,’ loser.” 

And Sokka locked the door behind him. 

When Sokka stepped into the hallway, he knew that this was no ordinary ship. The corridor was lit with only lamps on both sides of every door, and it went down about six rooms on both walls from each side of him. There was no way that he was on a warship, this boat was something else entirely, and Sokka was beginning to suspect that this ship was no warship, but a passenger one. Sokka has been on a couple of passenger ships before, but nothing like this one. The ones he went on before were run by the sail of the wind, not engines and motors that the Fire Nation had somehow created. And never one of this size, especially when he got to have his own room. And speaking of his room, it all made sense now. His room had such a weird atmosphere to it, like it was supposed to be a place where people could sleep, but not live in. Now all of the empty shelves and no storage space made sense now. It was like a hotel, but on a boat. But why would they put him on one of these for? He was the avatar’s right hand man, one would think they would have put him in a brig or dungeon somewhere to try and lure Aang out. Especially Zukor or Azula, whose only purpose in life was pleasing daddy at the capitol. It was a bad move on their part, to leave Sokka in a nice ass room with no guard, and to be barely chained on a wall. If he was a bender, they would have tied him up in a straight jacket if it was necessary, but it all goes back to doubting non benders. Sokka does not know if the two of them were on this ship, but maybe now when they go to his room and not find him there, they would start to consider non benders, and especially him, as a threat. 

Sokka decided that his best bet would be to make it up to the deck, so that is exactly what he was going to do. He went off in one direction of the hallway, not even sure just where he was going, but stairs going up was probably a good option. When he made it to the end of the corridor, a set of stairs leading him to either go up or down, and he chose the former. He only had to go up one story though, so the ship only had a couple of floors to it. This had to have been the biggest ship that Sokka has ever been on, and that was saying something since he’s travelled the world before.

Either way, when Sokka opened the door, he stepped out into the top deck, starboard side. It was night time, and thankfully there were only a couple of people on the main deck. Sokka’s heart raced as he stepped on the metal deck and to the safety railing of the ship, feeling a few guards pass him in the process. Thankfully, they were too caught up in their conversation to care about little old Sokka, which was a blessing. There were also no civilians on the deck either, which either meant there was a curfew, or that they were all just eating dinner and getting ready for bed. Either way, it worked in the brunette’s favor, as the less people who saw him, the better. 

It was when Sokka felt the soft breeze of the ocean is when he truly realized that he might actually get away from here. Could it really be that easy for him, especially when this was a boat supposedly filled with people from the Fire Nation? But it was then when Sokka realized that this ship was huge. Going from the stern to the bow, the ship was about a quarter mile long, being way bigger than what Sokka expected it to be. How was he going to find the lifeboats, or did this thing even have one? This was the Fire Nation, they did not work well with water, so they had to have some form of safety measures like life rafts, or emergency boats or something like that. Water Tribe ships were typically made out of wood since they really did not have any form of metal anywhere, except when they made their swords. The Fire Nation loved their metal, and they could even make it with their bare hands, so it was an advantage on their part. But just where was this boat going? Thought began to creep into his mind, telling him that maybe he should go back to his room and wait for the ship to dock and make his escape again. But he could not take that chance, especially when he had to take down a guard in the process. When someone finally notices that the spider was missing, they were of course going to send a search party for him. And if they do manage to capture him again, then they would most likely throw him in the bring like the healer said before, and he would be ultra fucked. He could not take the chance. 

Sokka decided to walk down to the back of the ship, walking down the deck as he looked up at the stars. He stopped a few feet away from an open window, making sure not to be in the way of its view, just in case someone looked from the outside. A feeling of dread came about him as he looked up at the stars, realizing he had no idea where the fuck he was. He tried hard to try and figure out just where he was, trying to find some constellation that looked familiar to him, but everything just looked gobbled up and confusing. No matter, there had to be maps on this ship somewhere, so he would look for one while he was looking for a lifeboat. The idea sounded so strupid in the brunette’s head, but there was no other way but forward, so that was the mentality he needed to have to get the hell out of here and back where he belonged. Now, where that ‘belongs’ is, he had no idea, but he was pretty sure that it was with his friends and sister, so that would be the start. 

“I’m bored!” 

Sokka jumped at the sound of a girl’s voice, looking all around him. The voice had completely taken him out of his thoughts, and he could not tell if that was a good or bad thing. The pain in his chest had become even more apparent now, as the adrenaline from before now wearing off. Sokka put a hand over his chest and closed his eyes, breathing in and out for a few seconds, telling himself he was going to pull through this and get the hell out of here. But as he looked around the deck, there was no one to be found except him, and he looked towards the window he had stopped next to. 

“If you’re bored, then go to sleep.” 

Okay, he definitely knows where these voices are coming from. 

Sokka looked all around him to see if there were any guards or civilians on the deck, and when he spotted no one, he pressed his back against the wall next to the window, and peeked inside of the room. He had half expected to see a bed room of sorts, but instead it looked to be some kind of recreational room for the passengers and the crew. There were a couple of tables and couches scattered all around the room for different parties of people, with board games and cards on each one of them. There was a bookshelf on the far right of the room, which were nicely stacked and organized, no doubt with the pages of the books being filled with Fire Nation propaganda. Throughout the room, the walls were painted with the geography that was the Fire Nation with beautiful landscapes similar to that of what was in Sokka’s room. None of the torches of the room were lit, except for a few on the walls and a lamp in the center table. 

Being that it was so late, there were not that many people inside. It was a good thing for Sokka, since no one would spot him looking inside of the room, except for two people in particular. Sitting in the center table of the room, were none other than the iconic trio of Mai and Ty Lee. Sokka knew he had recognized those voices from somewhere, he was getting good at putting the voice to a face. He got to know their voices very well, considering that he did not have his eyesight when they were supposedly ‘healing’ him. He remembered that Mai was the one who had volunteered to turn the herbs in a paste, but Sokka was pretty sure that the only reason she did it was because she was bored. Mai was actually the only one sitting on the table, while Ty Lee was busy doing cart wheels a few feet away from her. The Queen of Boredom was playing with one of the decks of the table, playing a game that was meant for one person. She had such a bored look on her face, and it makes him think that it should be her that was complaining about boredom, not her friend. What made it all a little more intimidating were the stilettos that have been thrown at the water tribesman a thousand times before. Since there were only a few lights lit, what seemed to be the recreational room was a little dark, but it fit the mood. Sokka could see the light hitting on both of their faces. The two of them were very attractive young women, and if they were not homicidal. 

“I’m bored…!” Ty Lee groaned again, falling from her position and thudding to the floor. She looked back up at her friend and said, “Mai, entertain me!”

“No.” Is all the black haired girl said. 

“Oh, c’mon! I know this is bothering you two. We’ve been sailing for two weeks! Can’t this thing go any faster?!” Hold the fuck up. They have been on this boat for  _ two weeks…?  _ Sokka had no idea he was out that long! Oh my god, his friends, his sister, who the hell knows where they could be! But Ty Lee did not care about Sokka’s inner crisis, and kept on talking, “It’s been smooth sailing and nothing’s come up. I want something to happen.” 

“It’s a passenger ship, not a war ship. We’re  _ painfully  _ taking all of the safe routes to get home.” Mai had a bitter look on her face as she said it, as if taking a safe route was a boring thing for her. “Either way, we should be there in a couple of days. Thing’s should get interesting then.” 

“You mean with the tribesman?” Ty Lee said excitedly. “Vei said that he woke up this afternoon! He was kind of frustrated too, he said that the barbarian didn’t even let him change his bandages. Maybe we could go tomorrow and see what he's about, maybe try and talk to him. You know, since all the other times we were busy fighting the Avatar. Zuko’s probably having an orgasm just thinking about it.” 

“You’re disgusting. But he’s thrown a boomerang at me from time to time, I haven’t forgotten about that.” Mai put one of the cards on the table, clicking her teeth when the game did play in her favor. “But yes. I don’t know how this is going to work, considering he’s from the Water Tribe. We can’t just inspect him to try and get along with us.” 

“But he's kind of cute! In a barbaric kind of way. Even though he’s kind of too skinny to be a barbarian, you get the point. And you’re right, it’s not going to be easy. We have to teach him all about our society and shit like that, UGH! Why can’t we just put him in a dungeon and call it a day? It feels like I’m back at the academy…” 

“I would think you would have found it interesting, a Water Tribesman in Fire Nation society.”

“It  _ is  _ interesting, but it’s nothing compared to traveling the world and finding the Avatar! Now that was fun.” Ty Lee had an excited look on her face. “Well, once he joins our side, maybe me and him can take a trip to one of the poles. Which one is he from again?” 

“I think the depressing one.” 

“So the south! Great!” Ty Lee then muttered. “Do you think Zuko would even let us?” 

“First of all, you don’t even know if ‘Sokka’ or whatever the hell his name is, is even going to stay in the Fire Nation. He’s probably going to just escape every chance that he could. And second of all, the only reason you want to go on a trip with him is because you want to fuck his brains out.” Mai said, putting down the cards and looking over at the girl. “Zuko probably wouldn’t even let you take him if you wanted to.” 

Ty Lee began to fan herself, but Sokka knows that she was not an easily embarrassed girl. “Always so vulgar, Mai! Aren’t you a noble man’s daughter?” 

“Aren't you, circus brat?” 

“Whatever! At least I was having fun in the circus!” The braided haired girl waved her friend off, obviously not taking offense to what she had just called her. “Speaking of the ‘prince,’ I’ve barely seen him leave his room the whole time. What’s his problem?” 

“This is his homecoming. He’s going to see his father again, the same guy who banished him for being a disappointment.” Mai had a bitter tone to her voice, even more so than usual. What was that about? “I think he’s getting ready to ask for his father’s forgiveness.” 

“But they defeated the Avatar., isn’t that enough?” 

“You would think that. But who knows when it comes to the Fire Lord.” Mai flopped the cards on the table, leaving them messily on the flat surface as she stood up. She walked past her friend saying, “All this talking is making me tired. I’m going to bed.” 

“But the night is still young, Mai! Let’s go mess with one of the guards!” 

“Yes, because distracting our only form of protection from drowning in the sea is such a great idea.” Mai rolled her eyes. “I’m going to sleep. And if you wake me up at the ungodly hour you did this morning because of your ‘boredom’ I’m going to kick your ass, Ty Lee.” 

“Can I-” 

“You have your own room. Sleep there.” 

“But it’s so big and lonely in there, I have nothing to hold onto! It’s just a big room filled with paintings and lamps with nothing warm to hold me at night!” Ty Lee jumped off the floor, following her friend out the door. “And I miss resting my head against your large-” 

“Finish that sentence. I dare you.” 

Ty Lee then just laughed and they were gone, leaving the lights on in the room. 

Sokka stared inside of the room for a couple more seconds, before he looked around and booked it down the deck to find the lifeboats. 

What he just heard from the spawns of Azula was all the confirmation that he needed that he had to get the hell out of here. There was a lot going on in that conversation, but what made Sokka’s ears pop out of his skull wa the fact that Mai had revealed that they were headed to the capital of the Fire Nation, the home of the fucking  _ Fire Lord.  _ The same guy who had taken over the world, the fucking father of the prince and princess of the inferno. And now they were taking Sokka right into the heart of it all? This had to be some sort of trick, some part of their game that Sokka would have no part of. And the acrobat bitch had said that Zuko potentially wanted to keep him around as a trophy of sorts, to show him off to all of the Fire Nation. Sokka knew that the kid had tons of mental issues that were so high up the list he was pretty sure he did not have time to count, but he did not assume that he would be this fucked up. He would have expected this from Azula, being a phycotic bitch was kind of her brand, but not from the prince of the Fire Nation. He was more of a slow burn more than anything. Ty Lee had said that they had defeated the Avatar, but Sokka knew that Aang was not dead, he didn’t see a body, but there was no way that Katara was going to let him die. Even though the kid was still far too young to be accepting the responsibilities of saving the world, he was still one of the strongest people that the water tribesman knew, and there was no way in hell Aang would go out so easily. 

Sokka was way too into his thoughts, but he managed to find the lifeboats. He was going to immediately rush up to it, but he noticed a guard at the very stern of the ship, standing there and looking up at the stars. Yes, it was a beautiful night just to look up and gaze, but he would rather do it under the southern lights then here in the Fire Nation, where they were just going to taunt him around like a trophy. Sokka jumped behind a metal crate, waiting for the guard to finally come to his senses and go somewhere else, but the man just stayed there, looking up for who knows how long. Sokka had a few thoughts of going over and just knocking him out like he did with the other soldier, but he knew that he was far too weak to even do anything other than run. The pain in his chest had become apparent now, especially when all he could hear was his heartbeat. Sokka does not know how long he was going to survive out in the ocean, but he knew he would figure out a way somehow, he always did. He had a plan to go and find a map somehow, but that had just been wishful thinking on his part. There was no way in hell that he was going to adventure throughout this ship to try and find something that was most likely going to get him killed. If he was on his top game, then he would have maybe ventured for it, but the stinging that the lightning had struck was still there. And Sokka could not fight in this condition, so he hoped he would be able to steer the raft in some form. He knew it was a dumb idea to get on a life boat with no idea where he was going, but he did not have any other options. He would rather die out in the ocean like his ancestors did then on top of the burning rocks of the Fire Nation. 

At this point, the guard was taking too long. Maybe this was his position for the night, which meant that Sokka was going to have to do some take down. He did not want to, but if it meant throwing a guy off a ship and throwing him a raft would get him the hell out of here, then that was his only option. But before the brunette could jump off the crate, he heard footsteps coming from the otherside of the wall, and he stayed in his position. From where he could see, a female guard rushed up to the male one, breathing heavily. 

“We have an emergency!” She yelled up at the man, most likely waking up some of the guests sleeping in the windows above them. Sokka could not see the expression that was on her face, but he knew it must have been urgent by the sound of her voice. “The Avatar’s ally is missing!” 

Sokka’s heart dropped.“What?!” 

“One of the chef’s men was taking too long bringing some food to him, and when they checked the barbarian’s room, he was gone!” The woman sounded frantic at this point, but Sokka did not feel bad in the slightest. 

“Does the prince know?” 

“Prince Zuko was on strict orders not to be disturbed this entire voyage, so know one's told him yet, he could still very likely be on the ship.” She said. “But I think we should, he would probably want to know…” 

“Do you want to be burned alive? If they find out that the crew had something to do with the savage being missing, we’ll either be banished or charred to a pulp.” The man said, looking down at ther. “Let’s find him before any of the brats find out.” 

Sokka watched them run past him, running into a door that led to who knows where, but he did not care in the slightest. The brunette jumped out of his spot from behind the metal crate and made his move. He jogged over the lifeboats, and looked up at the ceiling, feeling the stinging in his chest as he did so. The lifeboats were hung up, hanging off the edge of the ship, being connected only by ropes and metal poles. There were also hooks connected to the boat, so if he untied the hooks and the ropes, he would be home free. Except, there was a little bit of a problem. Since the ship was still moving, and he was a few floors above the ocean water, he would have to unhook the rope and hooks from where the lifeboat was hanging. Usually, there would be someone else still here on the deck slowly releasing the boat down into the water by a leaver from where Sokka was standing, but since there was no one else, Sokka was going to be the one to do it himself. The only choice that Sokka really had was getting on the metal lifeboat and unhooking it while he was inside of it, but he did not know if the wound on his chest was thinking the same thing that he did. The brunette did not even know if he would be able to get from on the boat here, considering that the edge of it was to Sokka’s eyesight. For the blue eyed brunette to be able to get inside of the boat, he would have to push himself off the ledge and grab the edge. That was too much for his body to handle at the moment. The only reason he was able to move around with his injury was because of the adrenaline pumping through his system. But fuck it, he was going to try anayway. 

As Sokka put both hands on the railing of the ship, he started to think about where he was going to go. He could not go back to the Earth Kingdom, or at least to Ba Sing Se, since it was now most likely overtaken by the Fire Nation. Sokka does not want to think much about that if he was being honest with himself, there were too many emotions there. But that was the last place where he and his friends had been together, so maybe if he went back, he would be able to ask around and follow their trail. Of course, he would have to be low key about, not be able to turn any heads. Or maybe he could go and find his dad somewhere, wherever the hell that man was. The last time he heard, his dad was somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, sailing around and helping as many people as he could, but that was a whole continent Sokka had to look through, he didn’t have the time. Or maybe he could just go home. Go all the way back to the Southern Water Tribe and look his Gran Gran in the face and tell her that they failed. Tell her that he had no idea where Katara or his father or any of his friends were and that he didn’t save anyone. That Aang may be dead and there would be no more hope in the world. 

“And what then?” Sokka hears a voice from behind him. 

Sokka had jumped from his spot at the railing, feeling the pain in his chest becoming ever more apparent. He was supposed to be alone on this deck, no else was supposed to be here but him. And yet, there was a voice calling out to him from a few feet away, and Sokka knew exactly who it was. 

The brunette slowly turned his body around, looking at the person who had called out to him. It should not have been a surprise about who it was, considering that the golden eyed boy had a tendency to be at places where Sokka did not want to be. But lo and behold, Prince Zuko was standing just a few feet away from him, looking eye to eye at Sokka with a piercing gaze. The prince had his hair up in a bun along with that fire triara thing that was similar to the one that his sister wore. He had expected Zuko to be wearing the usual armor get up that he loved to wear when he was chasing them around the world, but instead, he wore simple clothing, most likely because it was late at night. And at this point, Sokka barely even recognized the scar that was on the firebender’s left eye. The raven haired prince had chased them down, fought them, done everything he could to make their journey miserable. Sokka was used to the gaudy deformity by now. It did not scare him like it did previously. The prince probably just found out that Sokka had been missing, and wanted to go look for him, to trap him back in that little room. But Sokka was not going to let that happen. He did not care if he had to jump off this ship with the lifeboat, he would rather die than become a pawn in whatever game Zuko was playing with his sister. He would not let the prince take him to the capital of the Fire Nation, where Sokka was most likely going to be put in a dungeon for the rest of his life. 

“And what then?” Zuko repeated. “You’re going to go on a lifeboat without any food or water or medical treatment for your wound. You won’t even last a few days on the water. So tell me, tribesman, what then?” 

Sokka fully turned around, and gave the prince one of the dirtiest looks his face could offer. “I’m getting off this boat one way or another, jerk.”

“You’d rather die in the ocean then die like an actual warrior. And here I thought you actually had some courage in you.” 

“And what? Are  _ you  _ going to give me that warrior’s death? You’re going to fight me, here and now?” When Zuko stayed silent, Sokka got his answer. “Exactly. Even I know you’re not low enough to fight someone who's injured. But I also know you’re not keen on letting me escape. So why?” 

“Why what?” Zuko asked. 

“Why the hell did you save me from that cave?” Sokka asked, sounding more angry than he expected. 

“You just expect me to let you die there?”

“No,” Sokka started. “no, no, no, no, no, no, no! You don’t get to say shit like that when you have literally burned down villages, ransacked people’s homes, and hurt so many people in the name of ‘regaining your stupid ass honor!’ Do you know how many people you’ve hurt? How many lives have you ruined? For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been nothing but a selfish son of a bitch, so don’t think I’m just going to bend on my knees like everyone else on this ship because you decided to take pity on me. I’ve seen a thousand different plays in Ba Sing Se to know that that is just plain bullshit! You just want me to be your pet or something? That’s what I heard from Azula’s spawns!” 

“Azula’s spawns…?” A look or realization popped through Zuko’s damn golden eyes. “You mean Mai and Ty Lee?” 

“Whatever the hell their names are!” Sokka knew exactly what their names were, but if he was going to die right now, he thinks he had the right to be petty. “What, you think I’m going to join your side or something? You think because I’ve almost lost everything I’m just going to do what you say? Fuck you. Fuck you and this ship. Fuck your sister, fuck that healer, Veila and fuck those girls!” 

Sokka turned back around. Damn, he had not execpted to lash out at the prince of the Fire Nation like that, especially when he said fuck everything the noirette held dear. But at that moment, Sokka did not care. He meant every word he had uttered to Zuko, and he would say it a thousand times more just so the price could get it through that thick skull of his. As Sokka looked out into the ocean, he heard a voice from behind him say, “There’s nothing left for you out there. What, you’re going to go back to that ice rock you call a Tribe, if you were to leave, at least go to the Northern one, it’s easier.” 

“Fuck you.” Sokka said again. “And why the hell are you trying to make me stay so bad, what’s your deal?” 

“Didn’t you just accuse me of keeping you prisoner? Maybe that was the reason.” 

“No, there’s more to this.” Sokka turned back around and looked the prince in the eye. “You’re hiding something from me. Like, you people always have ulterior motives, but it's different now. What the hell do you want, Zuko?” 

There was a pause. A very long pause. Zuko looked past Sokka's shoulder, not looking the water tribesman in the eyes. “There’s nothing left for you out there. The Avatar’s dead.” 

Zuko looked right at Sokka then. And that’s when Sokka knew. There was nothing but clarity in those golden eyes of his, something that Sokka had never really seen before in the prince. Everytime that the brunette had ever seen the golden eyed boy, it was always during times of distress, whether caused by Zuko himself, outside forces, or maybe even both, Zuko always had nothing but anger in those eyes of his. It sort of came as a default for Sokka everytime he thought about the prince, but especially way back when they were travelling across the world to get to the North Pole. Zuko had been so angry back then, and Sokka does not blame him, he could not imagine e=bing banished from his own home by a father who barely even loves him if not at all. But that does not exclude the prince’s behavior, the guy was nothing but a monster when it comes to getting what he wants. And speaking of wants, no matter how much Sokka wants to tell the raven haired prince he was wrong, he could tell that Zuko truly believed that Aang was dead. But Sokka knows that that was not true, Aang was the motherfucking avatar, if anyone could have gotten out of that cave, it would have been him, and no one else. Besides, there had been Katara and Toph, who would protect the bald headed kid anywhere he would go. They were fine, and all the prince in front of him was trying to put lies in his head to try and mess with him. And Sokka would not let him. 

But even so, all Sokka could say was, “You’re lying.” 

“I’m not. The Avatar’s dead, and the Fire Nation will succeed. I think it's time you realize that and accept the out I’m trying to give you.” 

The ‘out’? What the hell was that? What was the out that Zuko was trying to give him? To bring Sokka to the steps of the Fire Lord, and play pretend for the rest of his life? To dress Sokka up as a trophy for proclaiming that the Avatar was dead, when Sokka knew that deep down Aang was still alive somewhere, trying to figure out a way to bounce back. There was no doubt that his friends had survived, and if the people on this ship, if the people of the Fire Nation, truly believed the airbender was dead, then that was just better on them. Sokka was not a doll, far from it. There were still people out there who needed him, his father, his tribe. All the people who he had met during his travels, he could not give up on them. Zuko thought that all was lost for him, and that since Aang was supposedly dead, he should just give up and take whatever the hell the prince was trying to give him. But the brunette was not going to sip tea and look pretty for the rest of his life, no matter how much it sounded so good to him right now. He was a warrior, that what his father was, that’s what his ancestors were, and there was no way in hell he was going to let all their sacrifices go to waste. 

Sokka gave Zuko one last stare. Ocean eyes met fiery ones for a couple of seconds, unmoving. Sokka then turned back around and put both hands to the railing of the ship, looking down at the water below him. He must have known what Sokka was about to do, as he quickly heard footsteps coming up from behind him, but before Zuko could stop him, the brunette had already pushed himself over the ledge, falling into the water below. 

“Sokka!” 


	3. The Pendant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone for the kind comments and feedback on the last chapter, I really appreciate it! A little longer the intended, but still fun to write nonetheless!

Chapter 3: The Pendant

**Sokka:**

In retrospective, Sokka knew that jumping off the ship was one of the dumbest things he could have done in his life. If his sister was here, she would have surely told him that he was an idiot for doing something so stupid, but she was not here. And when Sokka landed in the water, it had been so fucking cold. He would have thought it to be warm, since they were close to the capitol of the Fire Nation by now, but apparently not. The coldness went all the way down to his bones, and if Sokka was not from the Southern Water Tribe, then he would have surely passed out from the coldness. But he grew up in the south pole, so he was used to this kind of water. But just because he was from a place where it always snowed and there were nothing but ice glaciers everywhere, that did not mean he was immune to the water by any means. It was still cold like a bitch, but he was just more used to it to the next guy. Sokka had only been in the water for about a few minutes before there was a spotlight on him coming from the ship, tracking his every movement. He tried to get away from it, but everytime he thought he was close to disappearing, the spot light came back, shining down on him. It would have pissed Sokka off on any other day, but he slowly began to realize how tired he was starting to become. The bandages in his bandages were starting to become undone, and he was completely drenched. The pain had started to become more apparent as Sokka tried to swim away, but where was he even trying to go? All there was was the ocean and the stars above him, but other than that, he was truly fucked. 

But about what seemed to be a half an hour after he plunged himself into the ocean below, Sokka felt another spotlight on him. It had gotten closer and closer to him, and when Sokka felt like just giving up and letting the ocean take him, he felt two strong hands hoist him up out of the water and onto a smaller boat. It had taken the brunette only a little bit to realize that he was on a lifeboat, one of the same ones he had tried to steal but utterly failed to. Zuko was on the boat, along with a couple of other soldiers who had scared looks on their faces. The prince just looked down at Sokka, with nothing but that piercing look in his eyes, and sat back down on one of the benches of the lifeboat, reaching down for one of the towels. The raven haired boy quietly angrily heated up the blanket with his bare hands, before he leaned down and wrapped it around the brunette, making Sokka feel a thousand times warmer than he did just seconds before. And all of them, the two boys and the soldiers, spent the rest of the ride back to the ship in silence, not one of them uttering a word to one another. 

When Sokka had gotten back to his room, the healer, Veila, was waiting for him. The good looking kid had been sitting on his bed with his legs crossed, giving Sokka one of the most dirtiest glares that the brunette had ever seen. The same tray that the healer had brought earlier in the day was back again, sitting on his night stand, and Sokka did not argue with the nationalist. If the firebender was going to hurt him, Sokka would just let him, because at that point, he had just been too tired to care. Sokka knows that Zuko was on the other side of the room when Veila was unwrapping his bandages, but the water tribesman was too busy looking up at the ceiling to really care. He had felt the healers cut the bandages off, revealing whatever the hell that was on his chest. Sokka did not want to look at what was there, considering that he had made it ten times worse when he had jumped into the salty ocean water, making his wound far less pretty than it probably would have been. And Veila had scolded him the entire time he was doing it too, making sure that Sokka did not fall asleep while he was replacing his bandages. He told him how much of an idiot he was, that all of his hard work with getting better would be for nothing if the brunette was suicidal. Sokka usually would have had a comeback, but he was just so exhausted to even care. Thankfully, the golden eyed healer had also made that past with the numbing herbs again, making sure that Sokka was not in a constant loop of pain, at least for a little while longer. And Sokka had gone to sleep sometime after that. 

And so for the next couple of days, Sokka was forced to stay in his room, being chained up again. They did not change the lock or anything, they just chained him with the same ankle bracelet again, they just made sure not to let Sokka have anything like a pick or knife to be able to get himself out again. And instead of leaving the door outside unguarded, they had come to a decision to leave Sokka’s door always with two soldiers, making sure that if Sokka did escape his chains, he would have to face two firebending soldiers in his wake. 

So because of that, Sokka really did not do anything. He decided to let his wound heal some more, and not run across the ship and try to escape. And it was so boring too. There was nothing in this guest room that could at least stimulate his mind, like a book or a scroll or something to keep him distracted. But yet, he found his mind always going back to Zuko. The prince had been the guy to save him from the cave, and now he was the one to save him from the depths of the ocean. There were still so many questions going on in Sokka’s head, like why does Zuko keep saving him? What waa the point in keeping Sokka alive? The conversation they had on the deck in front of all those lifeboats did not shed any light in the slightest, except for the fact that Zuko seemed to be offering Sokka a way out. The golden eyed boy also said that there was nothing out there for him, that he might as well just come to the Fire Nation and be his puppet for the rest of his life. Did he not know that there were millions of people out there that needed his help? Okay, maybe not Sokka’s help particularly, but if no one else was going to take the reins, Sokka sure would. But Zuko does not see that they need help, all he sees are those who are below him, who might as well just perish since they don’t have Fire Nation blood in them. But even so, Sokka was still going to find a way out of this entire situation. He was not going to be just another pawn in their game, to be some kind of trophy that Zuko and maybe even Azula showed off to their father that they had somehow falsey defeated the Avatar. 

But it was not exactly helping that Zuko was in the room with him, sitting on a chair on the other side of the room. He just entered Sokka’s little domain just a few minutes ago, even bringing the chair with him and placing it down a few feet from the door. It pained Sokka to do so, as he did not want to be laying down in such a lax position when the prince of the inferno was on the other side of the room, so the brunette sat up, putting his back against the metal wall, hissing as he did so. It did not hurt to move as much as it did a few days ago, but he was still far from the best condition. Maybe he could have swam farther the other night if he was at his own hundred, but he honestly does not want to think what might have happened if he was not recaptured. 

The raven haired prince cleared his throat, saying, “We’re going to head to the capitol soon, so I’m going to give you a run down of what’s going to happen.” 

“Wait, wait, I already know. You’re going to unchain me, give me a boat, and I’m going to sail to wherever the hell my friends are so we can come back and kick your asses.” Sokka said with a smile on his face. It was obvious that Zuko did not find it funny in the slightest, but he did not care. “Or, you’re going to put me down in a dungeon where I’m never gonna be seen again. You already have a million of them around the world, why not at home?” 

“I’m not going to put you in a dungeon. Actually somewhere much more comfortable.” Zuko looked out towards the window when a wave of mist gently collided against it, before he said, “To be more specific, we’re getting to the capitol in a few hours. The ship is going to disembark and me and my sister are going to take a separate carriage to the palace. You, Mai and Ty Lee are going to be taking a second one not far behind.”

Wait, hold up, Zukko was taking him to the _palace?_ As in the home of the fucking _Fire Lord?_

Sokka began to feel his heart speed up in his chest, feeling the wound on his chest becoming much more apparent. Why the hell were they taking him to the palace? Oh no, this was much worse than going down in a dungeon and spending the rest of his life rotting, this was far much worse. They were literally taking him to the steps of the Fire Lord, where the guy was going to either set him on fire, or submit him to so much torture tht Sokka would rather just die on the spot. And that was just the first issue to the problem. Now, Zuko was telling him he had to ride with the spawns of the inferno? Mai and Ty Lee were not benders, but they could kick some serious ass when they wanted to. They have even kicked Sokka’s ass from time to time, and now he was going to be a few feet away from them? Sokka has never been in a Fire Nation carriage before, but he was sure that they were just like all the other ones he has been in: small and cramped. Now, Sokka would usually not complain about being in close quarters with beautiful women, but they were literal killers who would not care if they had to slit his throat to get what they want… and why the hell was that turning him on. 

Zuko seemed to be catching on with what Sokka was thinking, and said, “You’re not going to have to see my father. He’s not even going to want to talk to you.” 

“Great. You mean he doesn’t see me enough as a person to talk to me? You know, considering that anyone that doesn’t have Fire Nation blood in them should just perish away indefinitely.” Sokka does not know if it was a relief that he would be avoiding having to talk to the Fire Lord, but it still did not help with the fact that he would still be in the same building as him, no matter how big the palace was. “And why the hell am I riding with the Azula’s spawns? I’d rather just ride in a cell carriage, I’m sure it would be less awkward.” 

“Stop calling them Azula’s spawns. If either of them hear you call them that they are going to kick your ass, and I’m not saving you.” Zuko put his elbow to the chair, with his hand on his face. The prince honestly looked bored, like he had better things to do then to explain Sokka’s imprisonment, but whatever. Sokka was not going to play this little charade for much longer, he had better things to do. “But to make a long story short, you’re not going to be staying in the dungeon. In fact, you’re going to be staying in the palace with Mai and Ty Lee. Not together, of course, but in separate rooms in the guest wing.” 

The fuck? Sokka’s eyebrows were so closely knit together that he was sure he looked like he was having a unibrow. He tried to find the words he was looking for, so it took him a few moments to respond. “Wait, wait, wait. So you’re telling me… I’m going to live in the palace? With all of you?” 

Zuko nodded his head, as if the information was basic knowledge. “Pretty much.” 

This was not making any sense to him. Well, this entire situation was not making sense, saving him from a cave thing and keeping him from drowning in the ocean. Zuko was straight up telling that he was going to live in the Royal Palace with not only him, but with Azula, with Mai, with Ty Lee. And let us not forget the fucking Fire Lord himself. Sokka does not know how to take in this information, he always thought that Zuko was just going to throw him in a dungeon somehow and leave it at that. That would have been easier to escape with, or at least that's what he thought. But now the prince was telling him that he was going to live in some guest wing in the palace with Mai and Ty Lee? Sokka does not know just how the hell that was going to work, and how big were the rooms to separate him from them, but was an idea in itself. To complain about room sizes when he spent most of his life in a small hut in the middle of the South Pole, and he was apparently going to live a life of luxury. To think that that ‘luxury’ was because of the power that the royal family had put everyone under, that they were supposed to be better than their own citizens…. To think that he was going to sleep in the same building of the Fire Lord, terrified him, and he sure as hell would have preferred the dungeon now. 

“Why?” 

“Why what?” 

“Why the hell are you putting me in a room in the guest wing or whatever, when we’ve literally been enemies for almost a year and a half now?” Sokka was actually extremely calm at the moment, the exact opposite of what he was the other night. Back on the deck, Sokka had been so angry at Zuko for saving him, so confused. Now, maybe after being in this room for the past couple of days thinking, he had calmed himself down and just wanted to know. “None of this is making sense. If this was your sister, she would have either charred me alive, or thrown me in a dungeon to spend the rest of my life? Do you not remember she was the one that caused this?” 

Sokka pointed down at his freshly wrapped chest, and Zuko’s eyes narrowed to it. The brunette did not falter when the raven haired boy’s golden glare came back up to look at him. Zuko then simply said, “I’m not my sister.” 

“And neither your father, that much is apparent.” 

Sokka had said it to hurt. He knew that for his whole life Zuko has been compared to his father, so that was a touchy point for the guy. And he knew that the fellow male was bothered by that fact, because Zuko let out a viscous grunt, giving Sokka one of the most piercing gazes he had ever received. It was the same look Zuko gave them every time he was either going to use his firebending to hurt them, or just set random things on fire in hopes of getting the things he wanted. Either way, Sokka was glad he said what he said, because he wanted Zuko to know that he was not afraid of him, or at least not in the way that he thought he was. 

The prince closed his eyes and looked down to the floor, breathing in and out for a few moments. Such a fucking drama queen. After a while, he looked back up and said, with a more calmer outlook, “I’m going to let that one slide. But just take what I’m giving you.” 

“And am I gonna be, you know?” The brunette raised his right ankle, showing off the obnoxious cuff that was connected to the chain on the wall. “Because I don’t think my ankle can take the weight of this, even when I’m in bed.” 

“You’ll be able to move freely throughout the wing, but if you want to go out and explore then you’ll either have to be accompanied by one of us, or by a guard. The circus freak’s already been preaching about how she wants to take you on a ‘night on the town,’ whatever the hell that means. And if you ask Mai, she’ll either ignore you or just not be able to be found. So good luck with her.” Okay, he was glad that he did not have to wear a chain everywhere he went, but he did not like the fact he had to have a babysitter wherever he went. Zuko told him he did not need one in the ‘guest wing’ but just how big was it to not need a guard? “And there’s also a training area there for when the general’s come and stay for a while. That will give you plenty of time to work on your form.” 

Sokka bit his lip, feeling the rage slowly bubbling up inside him. It would have been so easy to lash out at the raven haired boy, but since Zuko showed restraint when the brunette bit at him earlier, he would do the same. Not that he owed Zuko anything. “I don’t care if the palace is a five star oasis. You’re giving me a lot of freedom for someone who’s supposed to be a prisoner.” 

“You’re not a prisoner. At least, I don’t want you to be.” 

“Then what do you want me to be, _Prince_ Zuko?” 

“I don’t want you escaping every chance you get.” He says to him. “The captain of this ship tried to send out a complaint to the palace because of all the hassle that you’re causing. He already didn’t like the fact that someone from the Water Tribe was on his ship, let alone a guest cabin like this one. I don’t give a damn about what some lowly passenger captain has to say, but if he’s high enough to get word to the palace, then he has to be someone. Either way, I made sure my father won’t hear about this, so we’ll be fine. And if you’re going to try to escape, do it when no one is watching. At least maybe you’ll have a chance then.” 

“But if I have someone always watching me outside of the ‘guest wing’, how the hell am I supposed to get away from you?” 

“Who knows.” Zuko said, shrugging his shoulders. 

Sokka rolled his eyes, putting a hand over his wounded chest. He looked down at the rappings, trying his best not to get frustrated with the fire prince. He then looked back at the raven haired boy and asked, “Wait, and speaking of your father, does he even know I’m even coming?” 

Silence. 

“OH MY FUCKING SPIRITS-”

“Stop yelling!” 

“You plan on taking me to the Fire Lord's door steps, the literal destroyer of the world, and he doesn’t even know I’m showing up? I know you think I’m some low life water trive peasant, but I’m the ally of the fucking Avatar, you’re dad’s self procalmied worse fucking enemy. When he finds out that I was his accomplice, he’s going to ring me by the neck or just set me on fire. Either way, it doesn’t sound appealing to me.” Sokka bit at the stupid ass prince. Just what the hell was Zuko thinking, being so fucking stupid. “You’re father can’t stand anyone who isn’t Fire Nation blood. He kicked his own son out of the nation because of something that could have easily been solved. What the hell do you think he’s going to do to me?” 

Sokka did not mean to say that last part about kicking Zuko out of the country, but it was true. And he knew Zuko was aware of that as well, but it did not lighten the matter at all. The golden eyed boy put both hands on the rests of his seat and lightly grasped it, looking out towards the window, and not at the prince. “He’s not going to find out.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“He’s not going to find out you’re from the Southern Water Tribe.” Zuko was still not looking at him, and the brunette did not know if that was a good thing or bad thing. “We’re not going to tell him.” 

“And tell me, my dear prince, how the hell are we going to do that? Just keep me in my room for the rest of my life? Even if you don’t tell him, he’s going to sooner or later find out someone is living in his house.” 

“The palace is big enough to where two people could live in it without seeing one another for months on end. The only thing we have to worry about is the gossip that comes with it.” Zuko turned to look back at him, and there was nothing but clarity in his eyes. “So yes, whether you like it or not, my father _is_ going to find out that you’re living at the castle, whether you like it or not. Sooner rather than later. We do not want to give him the wrong idea like we’re hiding you away or something.” 

“First of all, you are hiding me away. Just not by him. You’re hiding me away from my friends and family by keeping locked away in that palace with nothing but an acrobat bitch and the depressing one! And don’t even get me started living under the same roof as you’re sister…” 

“Me and my sister live in the upper palace in the royal wing. The only ones who can go in there are me, her, and my father, and some servants. Other than that, it’s off limits.” That does not make Sokka feel all that better, but as long as there was at least some distance between him and his striker, then he would not complain. Actually, that was a lie. He would continue to complain until he got the hell out of this. Zuko stated, “She won’t be able to hurt you. At least, not anymore.” 

“You know that’s not true. If there's one thing I know about your sister, is that she always finds a way.” Sokka said, with a serious look in his ocean blue eyes. Zuko did not respond back to him, which just showed that Sokka knew he was right. “And you're not telling me how we’re going to hide the fact that I’m from the Southern Water Tribe. This whole ship knows I’m from there, and I’m sure there are going to be shit loads more.” 

“I already paid off the captain and the crew to keep their mouths shut. And I added a little threat about their families back home for a good measure.” Sokka scoffed at the prince, but Zuko just shrugged his shoulders again as if it was just another day. He would never understand how easy it was for the prince and all his accomplices to threaten people like that, and Sokka never hopes to become like that one day. “But more to your point: we’re going to lie.” 

Sokka actually chuckled. It was low, dry, and frankly a little sad. The brunette rested his head against the metal wall of his room, looking up at the paintings around him. All he said to his adversary was, “What else is new, Zuko? I’m sort of used to it by now when it comes to the Fire Nation.” 

“When we’re in front of certain people, it has to be ‘Prince Zuko.’ No matter how much I know it’s going to piss you off. But anyway,” Zuko sat up straighter from the corner of his eye, and he knew that he was going to be getting a shit ton of information. Now, whether he was going to like that information as completely up to the guy. “Yes, we’re going to lie, and I don’t care how much you’re going to dislike it. You’re not going to be from the Southern Water Tribe anymore, you’re from a small village in the outer isles. I met you a year ago in my travels and we met up a few months ago before I went to Ba Sing Se. You don’t have any family, your father died in the war and your mother died in childbirth.” 

“Wait, so I’m going to live on a persona? You made this story up?” 

“No. There was once a young boy named Lee who lived the life I just told you. What people don’t know is that Lee actually died a few years ago in an Earth Kingdom rebellion group. They raided one of our outposts and killed every single person in it, including Lee.” 

“You mean including ‘me.’” Sokka says, trying to clarify.

“Now you’re starting to get it.” 

“How do you even know all of this? Where did you get the information on this guy?” 

“We had one of our connections back at the palace send us someone who could easily slip through the cracks. She looked through our entire library to find someone that was easy to replicate but not something too easily suspicious. And his name being Lee was a plus, there are, like, a million Lees in the Fire Nation.” 

“Listen, I’m not going to sit here and argue with you about how wrong it is for me to take the identity of a man who has already passed, a military man at this, but since I’m talking to someone with no morals, it’s not going to come through.” Sokka says, letting out a long sigh. “But let’s say I do play along and pretend to be this Lee guy. That still does not explain to anyone why did you bring me to the palace, and why I’m staying there. It would just raise questions as to why, me as a soldier, is just putting around the palace playing prince while there’s a whole war going on out there.” 

“Morals don’t matter when it comes to survival, I thought you of all people would know that.” Zuko said, standing up. “We’re going to reach our destination soon, so you’re going to have to change out of those casuals into something more formal. At least until we get to the guest wing of the palace. You’re going to be part of our entourage with Mai and Ty Lee, so your carriage with the two of them will be a little bit behind ours. They’ll fill you in on everything you need to know before we get there.”

Zuko took a few steps towards the door, about to leave, before Sokka stopped him. “You still didn’t answer my question.” 

The prince turned around and gave Sokka a long hard stare, before he said, “I know.” 

And then he had the audacity to walk out of the room. 

  
  
  


-000-

  
  
  


So for the next couple of hours, Sokka was left alone in his room with nothing but his thoughts and the humming sound of the ship. No one else had come by except some of the guards to bring him his breakfast and a little bit of an early lunch, which signified they would be reaching their destination soon. THe brunette was still debating on whether that would be a good or bad thing, but at the moment, he would just take things as they come and not fret, at least for now. They did end up coming and giving him new clothes, and no matter how much Sokka despised them, he knew it would be better just to put them on. It was a little bit of a struggle, considering that the casual clothes he was wearing were already a bitch to put on and off. The clothes that they had brought him were a thousand times heavier than the usual casuals he was wearing. Instad, they were more akin to the soldier uniform that Zuko and the other Fire Nation soldiers wore when either going into battle, or something far less somatic. Sokka hated everything about it, but he bit his tongue and kindly put it on. The only thing he had a problem with fully about the uniform was the heavy ass shoulder pads that the Fire Nation seemed to be obsessed with, but he would get over it. If one were to put this on him a few days ago, with his wound being as fresh as it was, he would have surely fallen on his face in pain. But he has gotten a little better, thanks to the healer. 

It was right when the humming of the ship came to an abrupt end when Sokka realized that they had arrived wherever they were docking. Sokka had stood up from his bed at that moment, and had about to walk over to the window to see what was going on outside, but the door to his room had opened, revealing a few guards. They did not say anything when they had walked over to him, with one of them bending down and reaching for the cuff on his ankle, releasing him from his chains. Sokka had expected some of them to say something, but he instead got nothing but silence. He knew there was no point in trying to talk to them, especially when he made them all look like idiots with his attempted escape, so he just followed him out of the room. They had taken Sokka down the hall and a few floors above them, where the outside world awaits. 

And when Sokka got there, that’s when he truly realized he was in the Fire Nation. Or in other words: he was fucked. 

As Sokka and the two guards stepped out into the fiery sun, he got a glimpse of all that was around him. The water tribesman put both hands on the rails and looked around the dock they were currently stationed at, and at all the people that were around them. They were stationed at some kind of docking port, with other ships similar to the one he was currently on, which meant that this had to be some kind of passenger port made specially for travelers. There were venders, selling all different kinds of meat and vegetables, and even some foods that were not from the Fire Nation, like ‘exotic’ foods from the Earth Kingdom. Sokka was a few floors above the metal dock, which meant he could see everything that was going on around him. People form all over the Fire Nation were either going on board a ship, or making their way off one. Some of them seemed to be of higher class, as they had carriages and servants all around them, holding their bags and even fanning them over this hot weather. But then there were other people, obviously from a lower class getting on boats, most likely going to wherever colony they had taken over in chance of a battery life. It was like Sokka was seeing a strange parallel, as the rich had so many bags on them, but the poor only had whatever they could carry on their backs. Sokka wanted to feel for them, as he knows what it was like not to have the life that one wanted, but he was not going to justify the killing of other people to make yours easier. 

But that was when Sokka saw it, or more specifically, saw _them._

At the bottom of the gangway, that went all the way from the deck of the ship where Sokka was to the metal floors of the dock, were none other than Zuko and his demon of a sister, Azula. The two of them were standing at an equal distance from one another, both looking around at all of the people that were around them. And Sokka was not being dramatic when he said there was a shit ton of people. All around the prince and the princess were common folk and nobles alike, all lined up and bowing their heads as the two royals walked past, but neither of them gave any of them a glance. Sokka did not know if the large group of people were waiting for the two of them before they got here, but he knew that the commonwealth was not. The higher class citizens wore long and what seemed to be heavy clothing, wearing shiny jewelry and clothes that Sokka did not know how many layers they had. Sokka guessed that they wanted to be the ones that saw the prince's homecoming to maybe get on the side of the prince. Either way, Sokka found the whole bowing thing as the two royals walked past wanting to make him vomit his late lunch out, thinking of all the times the two of them have tried to kill him on many occasions. But they did not even acknowledge any of them as they walked past, and Sokka did not know if that pissed him off or not. They just kept their eyes straight forward to the carriage that was in the middle of the large dock, and kept on walking. The carriage itself was guarded by multiple soldiers and guards alike, and the door that was facing them was opened, waiting for the two to step inside. 

Sokka was lightly pushed by one of the guards to step away from the railing and head toward the gangway. There was a line of people with bags getting off of the ship, so he had to slowly step off of the boat slower then what he had expected. It was the same kind of people though that had the most bags and with servants following behind them, so Sokka and his ‘entourage’ had to wait a little longer than expected. But once he was finally on the gangway, he could see another obstacle that was keeping him from getting off of the ship, and it was none other than the crew itself. At the bottom of the gangway where it hits the dock, there were a few crewmen and women at the bottom, thanking some of the passengers for sailing with them and to have safe travels. They wore the typical sailor uniform, at least in Fire Nation standards, but there was one man in particular that caught his eyes. He wore more layers than the other crewmen did, along with a helmet that was way more prominent than any of the others. And when Sokka got to the bottom, he and the man made eye contact for a moment. Unlike the other men and women who he shook hands with, he gave Sokka a long hard stare. He did not have the same golden eyes that most of the people he met around here did, but he did have that same piercing glare that screamed ‘Fire Nation.’ They made eye contact for only a few more seconds before he looked past Sokka and onto the next group of people behind Sokka and the guards. And the brunette was completely fine with that. 

Once Sokka was a little bit away from the gangway and from the blasted ship, the guards around him had ceased to leave his presence. They were still a few feet behind him, ensuring that he would not escape, and Sokka was trying his best to find an escape route, or at least something to distract them. 

“Lee!” 

But there was really nothing he could do at the moment. His wound had gotten a little better over the past couple of days, but other than that, he was still not at his one hundred. That fall into the water really put him on ice with his health, and he was sure that if he did not willingly plunge himself into the icy depths of the ocean he was sure he would feel a lot better than he did right now. But it was not like he could not function, it was more to the fact that he was not the way that he was before. He could not be as flexible or move as fast, he had to be more slow, more sluggish. And it really irked the hell out of him. 

“LEE!” 

There were so many people here to where Sokka felt like he could slip away, but there was something nagging him in the back of his head not to. The groupies had dispersed a little bit once the two heirs had gotten into the carriage, not uttering a word to anyone. And besides, with all of the guards that were currently surrounding him, protecting the carriage that the two royals had just stepped into, there was no way he would be able to leave. Zuko and Azula’s carriage door was shut by one of the guards, but they did not start moving as of yet. There were multiple carriages and horses that surrounded the prince and princess, most likely belonging to all the other kiss asses tha decided to be here for their arrival. And right on queue, all of those ostrich horses and carriages were beginning to be filled with all of those rich, snobby people, hurrying to get inside them to predictably follow the prince and princess all the way back to the palace. All of the other people, like the lower class citizens, just went back to whatever the hell they were doing before they had showed up. 

“Is he deaf...? YO PONYTAIL!” 

Sokka jumped at the loud voice that had come from one of the carriages, and he looked toward it. He knew that the name was calling out directly towards him, as he was the only person in the general area wearing a ponytail. It had been a pain in the ass to ask one of the guards for one while he was locked away in that room, and they of course had ignored him. The only reason he had gotten one was because he had asked his healer for one, and the raven haired soldier was so kind to give him one the next to he had seen him. But Sokka was going off topic for a moment, as he was currently staring into a pair of dark brown eyes that held nothing but happiness in them. Sokka would have thought those eyes held nothing but innsense, but he knew better, especially when those eyes come from a person who’s paralyzed him from time to time. Ty Lee was sitting in one of the carriages, sticking her head out the window and smiling over at Sokka. The blue eyed brunette actually found it kind of cute as how the long braid at the back of her head fell out the window as she stuck her head out. Sokka had always found Ty Lee to be a cute girl, except for the fact that she was always trying to kill him every time that they had met. The girl had a perfect smile to her, and quite a nice rack if Sokka was being honest with himself, but he will never forget that one time where she paralzed his body and he could not move a muscle. That kind of shit stayed with him. 

Other people were now looking in the direction of the girl, who was now waving her hands drastically at the ponytailed brunette. Everyone now in the general area was now looking directly at Sokka, so even if the brunette wanted to escape, there was no way that he could. And when Sokka said everyone was looking at him, he meant everyone.

Sokka just shook his head and let out a long breath of air before he walked on over to the black metal carriage. Ty Lee flashed him one small smile before she tucked her head back inside of the window, pulling her long braid inside with her other hand. The door of the carriage opened, but Sokka could not see who else was sitting inside, and if he did not know that Ty Lee was in there, he would have been completely clueless. It was like stepping inside of a pitch black hole, why the hell did it have to be so ominous? Once Sokka got to the door, there was a soldier there waiting for him. The two guards who had escorted him off the ship were now nowhere to be found, which meant they had abandoned him sometime during the walk over here. The guard looked at him for a few moments, and Sokka thought he was going to stop him in his tracks and declare him a water tribe peasant, but instead, the man did the exact opposite. The soldier then offered his hand to the fellow male, and Sokka was genuinely confused for a few moments. But then it had hit the tribesman that the man was trying to help him up into the carriage, and he did not know to either be insulted or grateful. It was at that moment where the strike in his chest had become more apparent than ever, but he simply ignored the man’s hand and stepped inside. 

The inside of the carriage was way more spacious than he thought it was going to be. The inside was spacious enough to easily fit six people, with the seats being made of a dark red leather. There were curtains inside of the carriage, covering the windows so that it was a little more darker then what Sokka deemed was truly necessary. But he probably guessed that the main reason that the curtains were closed was because it was to keep the cool air inside the cabin from going nowhere. Sokka did feel a little cooler when he stepped inside, and even though the curtains were closed, the carriage was surprisingly cool. It was a little warmer than usual outside, at least to his standards. Sokka does not know if it was always like this in the Fire Nation, but it was hotter then what he would like it to be. And as he sat down in the dark red leather seat, he noticed how much room he had, including the leg room there was in front of him. And speaking of what was in front of him, he did not like what he saw. 

Because sitting in front of him, were noneother than the spawns of Azula, who were now looking at him with varying gazes. Mai and Ty Lee were both sitting across from him, both looking at him through thick long eyelashes. Sokka had seated himself right next to the door, so he was now sitting right in front of Ty Lee, who was smiling at him with her patented pearly whites. Mai, the Queen of Boredom, was sitting on the other side of the carriage, who was resting her elbow on the windowsill resting her cheek in her hand. Sokka took a moment to look at what they both were wearing, which were just layers upon layers of reds, yellows and oranges. It was quite normal for Mai to wear something like that, as Sokka had never seen her in anything that did not cover her ankles and wrists, but she still looked quite beautiful. The thing with the Fire Nation was that they did not fear the weight when it came to shoulder pads, and the women were no exception. Both of the girls in front of him wore pads that went off their shoulders, along with layered dresses that were highlighted in gold. It was normal for Sokka to see Mai like that, but it was completely different when it came to Ty Lee. The girl typically wore that crop top with those slightly baggy pants, which most likely helped her with her acrobatic stunts. But to see her in something more formal was definitely a change hat Sokka did not know if he liked or not. 

Ty Lee was practically jumping out her seat when she said, “Spirits, you look so handsome! Will definitely make all the handmaidens blush.” 

Okay, he was definitely not expecting that one. Sokka looked down at his clothes again, the same ones he wanted to throw under the dock they were currently on, and just said, “Um… thanks?” 

“You’re welcome! You look awesome, way better than whatever the hell that we’re wearing.” Ty Lee raised her arms up, showing off those heavy layers that they all had succumbed to. She gave the ponytailed brunette a sly smile, as if she was saying ‘what can you do?’ She then actually said, “I hate wearing this crap. Stuff like this is the reason I ran away to join the circus. But the good news is that we only have to wear this once we get to the palace and meet all the politicians and shit. Freaking hate that part.” 

“Politicians?” 

“Mm-hmm. Basically politicians, noblemen, some other royalty like their second and third cousins and shit like that. We’re just going to need to show face for a little while before we can slip away. It’s a pain, but Azula says that even _we_ can’t get away with the things that we do. But I promise that once I see a chance, I’ll whisk us away to the guest wing before you know it!” Ty Lee nodded her head. Does she honestly think that Sokka found it comforting that she would take him to some unknown place? That he was going to have to talk to the leaders of the country that was currently taking over the world? But the girl sitting in front of him did not care as she just continued saying, “But I think it’s still such a shame. You look so nice in that!” 

“I want to burn this thing the minute I see an open fire. And since I’m now surrounded by a million firebenders, I don’t see that being much of a problem.” Sokka said, looking back up at the girl. “And I’m not talking to you! You tried to kill me, like a thousand times already!” 

“‘Kill’ is such a strong word, Lee! I like to think of you more as like, collateral damage.” She stated, trying to comfort the blue eyed boy. “And besides, we weren’t trying to kill you, at least not intentionally. 

“Like that’s supposed to make me feel any better.” He muttered. “And the name’s Sokka, stop calling me Lee, that freaking weird.”

“I’m just trying to get you used to the name. We don’t want you forgetting it if someone important is trying to call you and you don’t turn to look at them. That would be like a huge sign of disrespect. I was calling out to you earlier like, a billion times and you didn’t even hear me. How about this: We’ll call you Lee in public, and then Sokka in private? There! Problem solved.” The girl actually seemed happy with herself, but Sokka had the sudden urge to punch her in the face. “But if you want an apology, then I’m sorry you felt like we were trying to kill you and your friends.” 

“This is nothing about feeling, you _literally_ were trying to kill me and my friends just a few weeks ago!” He exasperated. “And not to mention that freaky crap you did to my body that one time!” 

Ty Lee just waved him off. “It’s fine! You can move again, can’t you?” 

“That’s not the-!” 

Sokka was not able to let out his sentence because outside of the carriage, one of the guards yelled something out. The blue eyed boy gave the girl one last dirty look before he turned towards the curtain, looking out back towards the dock. There were guards lined out in front of them on ostrich horses, with weapons and some with their bare hands, and he knew at that moment there was no way he would be able to escape. And a few moments later, the carriage slightly jolted forward, and they were moving. The brunette closed the curtain again, and looked back towards both girls. Mai had still not said anything, as she was still looking out towards the window, not paying any of the two young adults any mind. Ty Lee was still looking at him with that annoying smile on her face, and Sokka wanted nothing more to remove it. 

“Anyway, I think we should talk about what’s gonna happen when we get to the palace.” The braided haired girl says. 

“You literally just said it. There’s going to be a waiting party for the prince and princess and we have to smile and look pretty until we get to the guest wing. Doesn’t seem that hard.” 

“Yeah, but there’s like a thousand different things you gotta know before we get there. And thankfully, the capitol is a few hours away, so we’ll have plenty of time!” Ty Lee says with a chipper tone. Even though her legs were covered in the drapes of her long dress, she crossed her legs on the seat, putting both hands on her knees. There was no way in hell that Sokka was going to get in a relaxed position with these two girls. She then pointed a finger in the air, “Listen, there are a million rules that you’re going to have to know, but since your persona comes from a guy who was from the outer isles, it gives us a little _Lee-way_ if you mess up. Heh, get it? ‘Lee’ way?” 

“I got it.” He deadpanned. 

“Perfect!” She giggled. “But anyway, there’s going to be a lot you need to know. But the only thing you really gotta learn, at least for now, is pretty basic stuff. Only speak when spoken to, bow your head when someone important shows up, that kind of thing.” 

“How will I know who’s important and who’s not?” Just the thought of bowing down to people who literally are causing a mass genocide at the moment made him sick, but he would think about that for later. “Is there any way to tell?” 

“Whoever the hell has the most layers is probably your guy. Or gal.” She said, shrugging her shoulders. “And if you couldn’t tell, we’re _very_ important just by all this crap we’re wearing. But I don’t think Mai has a problem with it since she basically wears blankets on her all the time.” 

Mai looked over at the girl, but her face was blank as ever. It was the only thing she had given the conversation so far, but Sokka was fine with her staying in her corner and being quiet. Ty Lee just gave the girl one of her smiles, but he knows a mischievous glare when he sees one. He knows that if he would have made a comment like that, he would have probably found himself getting thrown out of the carriage. But since the two girls were friends, or whatever the hell they were, the black haired girl would probably let it slide. She then looked over at Sokka for a few seconds, looking him up and down. That piercing golden glare was as prevalent as ever, since there was a single shard of light coming through the curtained window, and he found himself gulping. Thankfully, Mai did not say anything at all, and just rolled her eyes and looked back out towards the window, not paying the two any more mind. 

“Okay. So if they're wearing a lot of clothes then that should be a sign. But is there anything else? The prince and princess of the inferno wear that red tiara clip that holds their hair together. Does anybody else wear something like that?” 

“Kind of. There’s also family crests, I have one, and Mai has one.” 

Ty Lee pointed to a pendant on her right shoulder, and Sokka saw it to be what it truly was. The water tribesman found himself leaning in a little bit voluntarily so he could get a closer look, and Ty Lee did the same. It was a small circular pendant that was made of what seemed to be pure gold. But in the middle of it was a golden tree, with the roots extending out to the rims of the circle. The pendant was so detailed that Sokka could actually see a few leaves falling off of the tree and down to the nonexistent floor of the pendant. Sokka found the pendant to be very tranquil, much to the opposite of what the girl who was wearing it truly was. Ty Lee then leaned back and over towards her friend, who seemed ready for the girl to touch her. Mai did not seem bothered in the slightest when Ty Lee unpinned the pendant that was on her chest and sat back to her original spot. Ty Lee leaned forward again, and showed the brunette Mai’s pendant, which was also made out of a shimmering pure gold. It must be a common thing then, for noble families to have them made out of metal. Plus, since Fire Nation colors are already reds and gold, it made sense. But Mai’s pendant was quite different then Ty Lee’s as her’s was a star, with nine points going in all different directions. Both of the family crests had drastically different meanings, at least from what Sokka could tell by, and he had a feeling he was going to have trouble remembering a lot of them if each and every family had one. 

After a little while of Sokka ogling the pendant, Ty Lee leaned back and towards her friend, kindly putting the piece of gold back to wear it on the right side of the girl’s chest. When Ty Lee was sitting back in her seat, she smiled at Sokka, saying, “Pretty cool, right? Do you have something like that back in the Water Tribe?” 

“Nothing like this though.” Sokka said honestly. “We don’t really have family crests like that.” 

“Oh, that’s bummer. I’ve always thought mine was kind of boring. It’s supposed to be the tree of life, and like a million different families have it. But the tree always looks different though. But even if it looks different, one tree in the forest looks the same as the others.” Sokka did not know why, but that sounded poetic. Ty Lee even looked a little sad at the fact, but she kept on saying, “But I think Mai’s is at least a little different. Her’s is supposed to be the darkest star in the sky, which I think is pretty cool. Oh, and Vei’s is supposed to be a woman dancing, and I’m so freaking jealous! We were born in wrong families, I swear.” 

“Vei?” Sokka tilted his head. “So he’s like… one of you?” 

“Is that such a bad thing, _Lee?”_ He flinched when the girl called him his fake name. The brunette knew that the only reason she did it was because she wanted to get a reaction out of him, but the flinch was the only thing that she was going to get. She started to play with the pendant on her shoulder when she started to say, “Vei’s father is an admiral in the royal guard, and last time I checked he was in the southern Earth Kingdom at one of the outposts. He should be returning to the palace soon though.” 

“But Vei’s a soldier too, right? I remember him wearing a soldier’s uniform, when I was, you know, being held down against my will and burned to the steak.” 

“You’re so dramatic!” Ty Lee laughed. “Well, I think this is a great opportunity to teach you a little about our education system! At least for the higher ups, like us. So, all the noblemen’s children typically go to the academies. There the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, and the Royal Fire Academy for Boys. You get out when you’re sixteen, and if you’re a firebender, you’ll most likely go to the Royal Military Academy. And we usually just use acronyms for them, like RFAG, or RFAB. And since we’re talking about Vei, after he graduated, he went to the Military Academy, where he learned how to fight and all that good stuff.” 

“You didn’t learn that in the RFAB?” 

“You mean RFAG?” 

“Whatever the hell.” 

  
She chuckled. “Yeah, we did. At least some of the firebending students did. Everyone else just learned the basic fighting skills while the firebenders had to take all these extra classes to get their abilities down.” 

“And those extra classes were a pain in the ass.”

Both Sokka and Ty Lee looked at one another in surprise, before they turned to look at the only other person in the carriage. Mai was still sitting in her pose, with her elbow on the windowsill and her cheek in her hand. It was as if Mai did not say anything at all, but he knew that she did, because he was looking dead at Ty Lee when the girl spoke. And besides, Mai’s voice was pretty unique, as it was a little more on the deeper side, alongside with the monotones that came with it. It was the first time Mai had actually used her voice to add to the conversation, so it was clear why the two of them were surprised to hear her speak. 

Mai’s golden eyes skidded over to Sokka, and the tribesman held his breath. She then said, “Vei’s dad is an admiral, so it makes sense to put him in those classes for him to get better. His dad is one of the best firebenders in the fleet, so of course they want Vei to be the same.” 

“But did he not want that?” 

“Let me tell you something, tribesman, about how things _really_ work in the Fire Nation. It’s the only thing you need to know to get by out here. Would you like to know?” Mai fully turned her body towards Sokka, and he knew then he was really going to get it. “The answer’s pretty simple.” 

Sokka nodded his head. 

“Just do as you’re told.” Was all she said. Sokka felt his dark brown eyebrows scrunch at that, especially when the girl went back to looking outside of the window. His eyes skidded over to Ty Lee, who simply just rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. As Mai looked out the window, she kept on saying, “That’s the only thing you can do in this place. Don’t speak out of turn, and only speak when spoken to. If a noble or admiral tells you to do something, do it. Especially you, one who is not from a noble family. And you’re right Ty Lee, Veila is a perfect example. Vei is a skilled firebender. He’s a master, like Zuko, like Azula. He kind of had to be since his father is one of the best admirals in the fleet. But do you know what Vei excels at, even better than firebending?” 

Sokka shook his head no. 

“Academics. More specifically, sciences. He always aced his tests, was the top in his class. But do you know what happened when his bending classes had one point less than his science? ” She turned to look back at him. There was nothing but clarity in those golden eyes of hers, not boredom or distaste like they usually were. “They took him out of it.”

“Why?” He asked the girl. Sokka thinks it was the first time that he actually said something to her, even after all the times they had encountered one another. It was always shoot first and ask questions later, so he found it a little strange that this was the first time they were exchanging words with one another. “If he was so good, why couldn’t they keep him there?” 

“Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to, _Lee._ ” Sokka really fucking hated it how they were using that name just to spite him, and he was this close to throwing one of his nonexistent boomerangs at her. Mai continued, “Do you really think that they were going to waste a good firebender, one who comes from a long line of them, so he could just sit around all day and play with test tubes? They took him out of science so fast that they took him straight into the Military Academy where he could finish his training. He spent two years there, and then he was deployed to the Earth Kingdom.” 

“Why didn’t he say no?” 

“‘Why didn’t he say no.’” Mai simply repeats. “This isn’t some lowly tribe in the middle of the south pole here anybody can be what they want. This is about status, about politics. It would be an act of treason if Veila were to deny serving his country. I’m sure you have something similar to where you come from. And it would be considered an act of disrespect not only to his father, but to the Fire Lord himself. He would be labeled an embarrassment to his House, and would either be banished, or imprisoned. And there was no way he was going to do that to his father.”

Sokka does not know how to respond to that, but he was definitely seeing a parallel here. A son doing anything he could to get the favor of his father. It sounded eerily familiar to a certain prince that was in the other carriage. “Why are you telling me all this?” 

“So you can understand what kind of world you’re being dragged into. You are going to stay in the guest wing, which is a good thing as people normally never stay there unless they are friends, which is us, or _very_ high in status. But sooner or later, you’re going to have to leave and be by Zuko’s side, in front of who knows who.” Mai looked down at the pendant on her right breast, playing with it similarly to what Ty Lee was doing just moments before. “I need you to understand something. It’s not just you who's on the line, it’s us as well. If anyone finds out that you’re from the Southern Water Tribe, that you don’t have an ounce of Fire Nation blood in you, they are going to kill you. And not just you, but they’ll come after us as well. If anyone finds out that we let a tribesman step foot into the Royal Palace, we are going to be tried for treason, and either be banished, or burned to the stake. And since you’re an ally of the dead Avatar, it’s probably the latter.” 

“If you want me to get on my knees and beg for thanks, you got the wrong idea, _Starlight._ ” Something Mai’s eyes changed right then, and he was greeted with that piercing gaze he was oh so familiar with. Sokka smiled at the girl, glad that he was able to hit a nerve like the girl did before with the name calling, and said, “You’re the ones doing all this for my sake. I didn’t ask for the history lesson. And what the hell did you mean ‘be by Zuko’s side?’” 

Both Mai and Ty Lee silently stared at him. Sokka was a little taken aback by that because he was not aware that he said anything bombshell worthy, but just with the looks in their eyes, he could tell that he said something amiss. Ty Lee then said, “He didn’t tell you?” 

“Tell me what?” 

Ty Lee then glanced over at Mai, but the golden eyed girl was still staring down at Sokka. Ocean blue and golden eyes stared one another down for a few moments, neither of them breaking eye contact. But Mai then just rolled her eyes and looked back out towards the window, peeking through the small opening that the curtain gave her to see. She put her elbow back on the windowsill, putting her hand to her cheek, before she boredly said, “You’re going to be his council.”

  
  
  


-000-

  
  
  


And just like that, they had decided to leave Sokka hanging like that. Mai did not say anything else when it came to the bombshell she had given him about an hour ago, and just went back to staring outside her window as if something was going to pop out at her. The brunette wanted nothing more than to strangle the girl and tell her just what she meant by that, but everytime he tried to bring up the subject again, she would either hum at him, or just straight up ignore him. That was one thing he despised about Mai, her ability to be able to ignore literally anyone and not be bothered in the slightest. It was something that Sokka was kind of jealous of, but at the same time, it was making him think ‘fuck it’ and open the door to the carriage and just run. And when Sokka had given up on her, he decided that her more open friend was a good target, but Ty Lee was not any help either. She would either ignore Sokka and just continue to talk about what _she_ wanted to talk about, or just not say anything at all. The water tribesman knew that if her friend wasn’t here, he would have been able to crack her and get some information, but he could not. Everytime when he thought he was actually getting something, Mai would just simply tilt her head and look straight at her friend, as if it was a queue for the braided headed girl to shut the hell up. Sokka had found the whole thing annoying as hell, but he decided to take that information and put it away. It seemed that Mai held some power over Ty Lee, and vice versa, so maybe Sokka could use that to get the hell out of here. 

But for the last two hours, Sokka and Ty Lee were busy talking about the dos and don’t when it came to the Fire Nation. The female brunette had told him that things were a little looser in the lower classes, all this pish and posh was usually meant for the higher ups. Sokka wished that a lower class person had kidnapped him then, because all this dos and don’t crap is starting to annoy him. There was so much that Sokka had to be aware of, who to respect and who to not, who he needed to bow his head to. The still sickened him, bowing his head to someone from a genocidal culture, but he seemed not to have a choice at the moment. But there was just so much information that he needed to know about, and he was pretty sure that he would not be able to fit it all in before he got to the palace. 

But the word ‘council’ had still stayed in his mind for the last hour or two, not being able to leave. He was currently on a journey to venture out to the capitol of the Fire Nation, where he was going to be the prince’s council. There was no way that Mai had meant that Sokka was basically going to be Zuko’s right hand man, that he was going to be there to tell Zuko what to do. Being someone’s council meant that he would have to give advice and tell the prince what he should or should do. It sounded simple in theory, but it was way much more than that. Being someone’s council meant that lives were on the line, especially when it came to being a prince like the raven haired boy was. Zuko was cruel, brash and straight up one of the most entitled people he had ever met in his entire life. He always came off to be more of a spoiled brat more than anything, and that was a main component as to why no one ever takes the kid seriously when it came to things that weren't ‘honor.’ Zuko did not seem to be the type of person who would listen to just anyone, especially not Sokka. When the two had first met, he had called the fellow boy a water tribe peasant and burned his entire village to the ground. And now two of his accomplices were trying to tell him that he wanted _Sokka’s_ advice? Maybe Mai was just trying to pull his leg, throw him off his game so he wouldn’t try and escape. But Ty Lee seemed to be the one to more akin to play mind games then the two, not Mai. The markswoman seemed to be more of the blunt type, and doesn’t insinuate to be the mental kind of fighter. 

He and Ty Lee were in the middle of a conversation about what the guest wing was going to be like, and they were getting to the part about the training room, but the carriage then came to a stop. The curtains had been closed since Sokka stepped inside, and also the whole time they had been talking. Sokka felt like an idiot for not looking out at least once so he would be able to know how to get back to the docks just in case, but he knew it was too late to actually pay it any mind. 

Ty Lee then raised her arms and gave out a long sigh, stretching her entire body out. “Thank the spirits! I’m freaking starving! And I gotta take a leak. So that’s a plus.” 

“Where are we? Why did we stop?” He asked, leaning towards the window next to him. 

She tilted her head at him. “Do you not eat in the Water Tribe?” 

But before the brunette could respond, the door of the carriage swung open, and a hand was being offered to him. 

Guess he was getting out. 

When Sokka’s feet hit the ground, he looked all around him, and there really was not much. It looked like they had stopped in some kind of small town, which was a completely different setting from the bustling dock they had been in just a few hours prior. The town was set somewhere in the mountains, as there was nothing but high hills and rocks all around them. The mountains were a dark reddish balck, something that Sokka had never seen before. He knew by common knowledge that the Fire Nation was made up of multiple islands that had multiple volcanoes at its core, but he had never seen the color before in his life. But it made sense. Of course the people that had somehow found a way to control fire would of course live in a place that had formed from heat itself. When Sokka looked up, he could see that the sky was clear blue, with only a few white clouds scattered about. It was at that moment when Sokka was immediately thrown back on the ship, and he found himself thinking about all of the beautiful paintings that he was forced to look at when he was alone in that room. The area he was in was not a carbon copy of the gorgeous painting, but they were quite close in comparison. And the paintings did not only have the geography of the FIre Nation, but they had a few buildings as well. The town's buildings were all white, seemingly made out of concrete, with pointy red roofs to go with them. It was so different from anything Sokka had ever seen, and he saw a lot of buildings in his life. And they were almost an exact replica of the style of homes in the paintings, but only just about. 

But that was not the only eerie thing going on in this place. There was not a single soul out in the street, and that immediately had Sokka’s nerves rattling. Even though this was a small town, there should have at least been _one_ person on the road, or at least with a window open. But instead, as the brunette looked around at all the buildings around him, not one door was open, a window, a crack. It was as if everyone had picked up their things and went inside, and Sokka does not know if that was a good thing or not. He thinks it had something to do with the dozens of guards that were around them, standing at attention a few blocks down from them, barricading the entire road from being in use. When Sokka looked from both of his sides, he found that they were barricaded all around them, so any chance of escape was zero to none. He even saw some guards sitting on the chairs in some of the porches of the houses, as if they actually lived there. And Sokka shook his head at that. The townsfolk probably got word that the prince and princess of the entire country was going to visit them, so they were either told to stay inside out of respect, or out of fear. Either way, he thought that both aspects were appalling, and decided to focus on the building in front of him. 

As Sokka looked forward, he found himself in front of a small lodge, but it seemed big enough to hold quite a few people. The lodge looked the same as all the other buildings in the small town, with the red pointy roof and the concrete white walls. There were no signs at the front that dictated what kind of place this was going to be, but there were a few signs that were sort of like a menu, displaying all of the different types of foods that they served here. Sokka did not know if he was hungry or not, as he was trying to find a way to escape for his life, but he guessed he would find out in a couple of minutes. Under the sign that displayed all of the food, there was also a sign that read that they had rooms here, but he did not know if that was a good idea or not. Sokka does not know why they had stopped here, but maybe if they did spend the night so he could find a way to escape. Disappearing in a small lodge sounded way easier than trying to escape from a giant palace. But he did not think that they would be spending the night, as Ty Lee had told him that the capitol was only a few hours away from the dock they had departed from, so maybe he was just wishful thinking. But why had they stopped here anyway? If the capitol was only a few hours from the dock, could they not have held off using the bathroom or eating for a little while longer? Sokka knows that all of the other young adults here were rich kids, but they should have been accustomed to a more survival setting when they were busy chasing him around the world and trying to kill him and his friends. 

A few yards away from him was Zuko’s and Azula's carriage, and since no one was getting out of it any time soon, he probably guessed that they had already gone inside. But without even thinking about it, Sokka turned around and offered his hand to the girls behind him, and he had immediately regretted it when he did. Ty Lee gave him a surprised look, but she then smiled and happily took his hand, and stepped down from the carriage. “Such a gentleman. Thanks, Lee.” 

Ty Lee stepped past him with a little more sway to her hips then Sokka thought was truly necessary and headed on inside of the building. And before Sokka could even offer his hand to the other girl, Mai promptly stepped off the carriage and followed her friend inside, leaving Sokka behind. The tribesman muttered, “Rude,” before he walked inside. 

Since this place was supposed to be a restaurant, Sokka thought that there would be one big room where they all could sit and eat, but that was not the case. Sokka and the two girls found themselves in the front entrance of the lodge with a counter sitting in front of them. There was a bell sitting on top of it, and Ty Lee found it appropriate to walk over to it and began ringing it over and over until Mai had to come over and grab her wrist. The brunette then took the opportunity to look around and see what this place was about. The interior of the lodge was completely different from the outside, but it kept that same Fire Nation flare Sokka had come to loathe. The inside was nothing like the interior of the ship he was once on, but it was similar in some ways. One related trait that the two had were the paintings that were on the outer concrete walls, displaying photos of the geography of the land. Sokka guessed that the Fire Nation thought its country was pretty, as if it had paintings of it wherever the hell he went. But one thing that really caught his eye were the paper walls that went beyond the counter in front of them. Paper walls were not something he was foreign to, but it was definitely not something that they had in the Southern Water Tribe. There were a lot of places that had paper walls in the Earth Kingdom, and he had most definitely broken a few of them when he was either drinking a little more then he should or, simply him being a dumbass. But to have walls such as these in a country that is known for tearing things down with their fire, did not seem to be a good idea for him. But either way, with all these guards, it was probably just them in here, so that would just be two firebenders, or three if the healer was here. 

After a little while, Mai sighed and departed from the counter and stepped on over to a bench that was a few feet away from the counter. On top of it, there were two pairs of shoes on them, and Sokka did not need someone to tell him just who they belonged to. The noirette then bended down and began unlacing her heeled boots, taking them both off with rave and setting them down next to the royal’s. When she turned back around, she looked towards Sokka and said in a hushed tone, “Put your shoes here. It’s a sign of disrespect to walk into someone’s home or restaurant with your shoes on.” 

The brunette did not need to be told twice, and stepped on over to the girl. As he unlaced his shoes, he asked, “Why?” 

“It’s considered unsanitary.” Mai simply says. “And this was the kind of thing I was talking about. It’s the little things. If you were just to walk inside with your dirty shoes on, then they would look at you strangely and ask where you come from. It’s not just all about learning about crests and politicians, it’s about the culture itself.” 

“Noted.” He said as he put his shoes on the bench. 

And the bell started ringing again. 

“And speaking of disrespect.” 

Ty Lee was still standing in the front with her body leaning forward on the counter in front of her, with her shoes still on her feet. Her pale hand had gone back to ringing the bell, but this time she used way more force then Sokka thought was truly necessary. The braided haired brunette then let out a long groan before she plopped her head on the counter, thankfully stopping. She whined, “What the hell is taking so long? First, they make me wear this stupid crap and now they’re trying to starve me!” 

“Put your shoes away.” Is all her friend says.

And right on queue, as Ty Lee begrudgingly walked on over to them and began to take off her shoes, a woman came out of the hallway next to the counter. She seemed to be about middle aged, with her hair put up in a bun and with it being the same raven haired color that was similar to Mai’s. He was pretty sure that the two women are not related though, as she did not have the same golden eyes that the girl next to him was cursed with. The woman also wore a long dress that covered her feet, along with sleeves that were long enough to the point where he could not see her hands. Sokka thought her whole outfit yelled class, but he was pretty sure that this place was going to be nowhere near the level of high class he was going to experience at the palace. 

“Lady Mai, Lady Ty Lee. It’s an honor that you have chosen to dine with us again.” The woman bowed with the three of them, but he does not know if he was included in that. So, Mai and Ty Lee have eaten here before, maybe this was some kind of pitstop that the demon spawns usually stop at before they head back to the capitol. But what caught Sokka off guard was when the woman raised her body back up, and began to face him. With the same motion that she did before, she bowed again, but this time saying, “Lord Lee. It is also an honor that this will be your first meal since coming to the mainland. If you’ll follow me, I will take you to your dining rooms.” 

Dining rooms?

The two girls promptly followed the woman into the hallway next to the counter, and Sokka found himself quickly trailing behind them so he did not get lost. The hallways of the lodge were not that different from the front, as the same dark wooden floor that was in the front kept extending throughout the hallway. There were multiple rooms with sliding doors, as Sokka was getting ready to walk into one, but the woman in front of them did not stop. She just kept walking with her hands clasped in front of her and stepped gracefully forward. As Sokka stared at the back of her black haired head, he wondered just how she was able to know his fake name. He had found it a little off putting that she had used his fake name, and it was the first time that someone he did not know used it. Someone must have told the lodge that they were coming, but he wonders how they told them about him. Since these people did not seem to be the high class that Sokka had expected, they must have just taken his word for it and not ask that many questions. He thinks that that was a good thing, considering he still did not know much about being in the Fire Nation military or any of the ranks or anything like that. There was still so much he had to learn, as this was basically going to be a form of culturally resetting himself, at least for a while, but he does not know if he was truly going to be able to do it. Zuko had said there was a library, or something of the sort, where they were able to find the record of this ‘Lee’ guy, so maybe he could go into that and read up on some history, no matter how much it pained him to do so. 

As the four of them walked through the lodge, he found everything to be extremely quiet. Even with all of the sliding doors that they passed, it was like there was no one else here, which was creeping the hell out of him. It was probably the prince and princess of the inferno’s doing, since they were royalty and what not. This entire day, he has been reminded just how important the two of them were, especially with that large welcoming group that they had back at the docks. Sokka knows he was going to be reminded again and again that they were literally a prince and princess, but he was taken out of his thoughts when the woman in front of them stopped walking. The brunette stopped in his tracks, but Mai and Ty Lee stepped past him and to a sliding door next to the woman. 

The hostess grabbed the wooden handle of the paper door and gently pulled it towards her, opening it for the three of them. She bowed her head again, and said, “Lady Mai. Lady Ty Lee. The Lady’s dining room.” 

Um, the _Lady’s_ dining room…? 

Mai did not even look back at the tribesman when she stepped inside, she did not even thank the woman for holding the door open for her. He found the motion a little bit rude, but this was Mai he was talking about, she simply just did not care. But before Ty Lee stepped inside, she looked back at Sokka and kindly winked at him, before she completely disappeared inside of the room. And just like that, the hostess promptly shut the door behind the brown haired girl, with Sokka not even getting a chance to look inside the room. 

With her eyes still skidded down to the floor, the dark haired woman said, “Lord Lee. If you will continue to follow me, I will take you to the Gentlemen’s dining room.” 

The woman did not even wait for Sokka to respond, she just turned around and kept walking forward, with Sokka finding himself quickly following behind her. Okay, so that meant that the men and women ate separately, but he did not really know just how much that entailed. Did they always eat in different rooms, or was it just this place that enforced it? Either way, Sokka felt the nerves in his stomach becoming a little more apparent, and he knew it was from not being hungry. The hostess led the water tribesman a few ways down from where the two girls had entered, but they were not far enough to where Sokka thought this was a completely different area. He had been memorizing where the front entrance was as they had walked, so if he needed to escape, it would have been easy for him to do so. But when the hostess stopped in front of a sliding door, one that looked awfully close to the one that Mai and Ty Lee had entered. The woman had grabbed the wooden handle again, and bowed her head once more. 

“Lord Lee. The Gentlemen's dining room.” 

As the woman opened the door to the room, Sokka took a moment to realize what being high class really meant. 

The room in front of him was quite large, big rough to easily fit around fifteen or twenty people, but it seemed that it was just Sokka in the room. He found it a little off putting, that he was the only one in the room, but he was too busy looking at everything to really care about that. In the center of the room was a low, wooden table, with cushions all around it that could fit a boat load of people. And next to the cushions were crimson silk sheets, in which one would probably be able to wrap themselves around while they ate. They would probably be more useful in the winter, but since it was still spring time, they would still be a little useful, but not today. It was warm out, so there was going to be no way in the spirit world that Sokka was going to wrap himself in something when these clothes were doing the most when it came to heat. Under the table, was a dark red carpet, fitting for the culture he was in, with it’s patterns being that of golden flowers, which he found quite visually appealing. Now on the outskirts of the room, there were vases put up on podiums, some being of varying colors and patterns, but he was pretty sure that they were worth more than his entire life. They were probably made of some imperial stone that could not be found anywhere else _but_ the Fire Nation, and they were most likely crafted by some ancient sculptor. Around the room were more paintings of the geography of the Fire Nation, and Sokka was truly begging to wonder just how many of these paintings he was going to have to see in his life. He was really getting tired of them, always having to be reminded of the situation he was in, always being reminded of where he was. The paintings were just as beautiful as the entrance ones were, but Sokka was too busy staring in front of him to care. 

At the far end of the room, there were two sliding doors that were slid open, revealing the outside world. They were still on the first floor of the building, but since the lodge was elevated on a large hill, he could see the beautiful view of the countryside. The town seemed to be in the middle two mountains, as he was able to see the space in between them, and it was just as beautiful as the paintings. The thing with the Fire Nation was that it was not the most floral of places, not like the Earth Kingdom was, but the country did have it’s charms. There was nothing but rocks and some patches of grass in between the two mountains, but the brunette found that it was completely different to anything he had seen before. And just because something was different, that didn’t mean it was all bad. At least he hoped. 

Sokka stepped into the room, and the woman had closed the door behind him. He really did not know what he should do, but his eyes immediately skidded back to the table, and he felt like a complete idiot for not noticing the _mountain_ of food that was on top of it. There was so much food on top of the table that Sokka did not know exactly where to start. But he would start at the center of the table, since it seemed to be the centerpiece of the entire meal. In the center, there was a golden roasted duck, which thankfully did not have its head still attached to it, with a few vegetables at the bottom of it. On the right of the duck was a giant bowl of soup, and he could see the tiny fragments of peeled shrimp inside of it, and that was when he felt his stomach grumble. There were also a few steamed dumplings on multiple golden plates, with soy sauce not too far away from the breaded meat. And speaking of bread, there were multiple rows of bread around the table in front of each seating place, so each person could have a roll while they ate. And that was just the main course, he did not even start on the desert. There were a few hotcakes on a plate on the other side of the noodles with shrimp, calling Sokka’s name, along with a giant plate of mocchi. There were also pink sweet tarts, with a few pink rose petals on top of it, but there was something else that Sokka took note of. Sitting at the very edge of the table, on the far right, was a bowl of ice cream. Like, actually, cold ice cream. 

Sokka did not even hesitate when he quickly stepped on over to the table and knelt down, picking the large bowl up with both of his hands, and grabbing a spoon that was situated right next to it. Sokka dipped the spoon inside of the dark red bowl and lifted the icy contents into his mouth, being reminded of nothing but home. It did not taste like the creamed ice he was so used to back at the South Pole, it was far too sweeter. But it would have to do for now. 

With the bowl in his hand, Sokka stood back up and walked over to the patio. He walked straight forward outside of the room, and put one hand on the railing, and the other with the bowl that was wrapped around his arm. He stared out into the expanse before, 

“Out of all that, of course you chose the ice cream.” 

Sokka jumped at the voice, and immediately turned to where it was coming from. 

There, sitting on a chair next to the door was none other than the prince of the Fire Nation himself. Zuko sat on a chair on one side of the balcony with his legs crossed, looking at the water tribesman with an unimpressed expression. He still wore the get up he was wearing at the dock, except this time, he had way less layering, and the shoulder pads were gone. When Sokka had stepped out onto the balcony, there was no way that he would have been able to see him, as the wall had been blocking him. There was another chair and a small table in front of and next to the raven haired boy, but Sokka was too focused on the other male to really care. 

The brunette just shook his head, and swiftly turned back around, going to head inside, but , “Wait.” 

Sokka stopped in his tracks, he stood in front of the patio door, staring down at the table with the abundance of food a few feet away from him. He did not want to talk to Zuko, he never wanted to speak to the prince ever again, but he really did not have that choice at the moment. “I have nothing to say to you. And I definitely don’t have any advice to give. And even if it did, I sure as hell wouldn’t give it to you.” 

Zuko leaned back in his seat, looking dead at Sokka with those golden eyes of his. On the low table in front of him, the noirette reached forward and picked up a bowl of dumplings that sat on top of it, and plopped on in his mouth. Zuko stared at him the entire time he chewed and swallowed the food, and he knows it was supposed to be intimidating, but to be honest, it was fucking weird. After his mouth was no longer full, the golden eyed boy said, “So they told you. This is why I didn’t want you riding with them, especially Ty Lee. The circus freak never knows when to close her mouth.” 

“Oh no, we had plenty to talk about on the ride over to wherever the hell we are. Loved the history lesson. The family crests, the RFABCD, got the whole spiel from the two of them. Trust me, Ty Lee was more than willing to tell me all about your little genocidal race. And surprisingly, so was Mai.” Sokka says, with a little more bite then he truly intended. Zuko’s eyes narrowed when the brunette mentioned the markswoman, but he continued to say, “Oh, and the fact that this place is run by status and power alone, so then there’s that.” 

“Don’t act all high and mighty when the Water Tribe is the same way.” The raven haired boy said. Sokka felt his mouth contour for a moment, and he was going to completely disagree with the asshole, but the prince continued to say, “Your father for example. He’s the chief of your tribe, right? And he’ll remain that way for the rest of his life before he either dies, or until someone else ups and challenges him. And if he dies, _you’ll_ be next in line, but only if someone else doesn’t challenge you for the job.” 

“Shut the fuck up!” Sokka’s voice echoed throughout the patio, echoing down the mountain. Some birds that were perched up on a tree a few ways away were now flying far away from them, most likely startled by the brunette’s sudden outburst. Sokka tried his best not to drop the ice cream bowl in his hand, but he could not yell at the guy and hold it at the same time. “You don’t know anything about my people! The only thing you know about us is that fire burns ice, and that’s it. So don’t act like you know what we’re about!” 

Sokka found himself marching inside of the dining room again, leaving the raven haired boy out there by himself. He didn’t want to even look at the guy at the moment, so he just stalked himself next to the table, sitting in the far right corner near the door. He slammed the bowl of ice cream on the table and reached for the bowl of shrimp noodles. He had to grab the bowl with two hands, as it was big enough to fill a boat load of people’s stomachs, but he did not care. As he set the heavy warm bowl in front of him, Sokka grabbed at a pair of metal chopsticks that were part of the table set and jammed it into the bowl. He rapped the noodles around the sticks and slurped them into his mouth, tasting absolutely glorious, but he was too angry to really care. He stared down into the bowl while he ate, thinking about someone he wanted to get far away from as soon as possible. Why was it that everytime he spoke to Zuko, he wanted nothing more than to punch the guy in the face? He was so arrogant and plain disrespectful, not only to Sokka, but to his own culture. Zuko was the kind of guy that always demanded respect, but never gave any to anyone else, besides people who are above him. But who the hell is above the prince of a nation? Only the king, so Zuko was an asshole to everyone, especially to people who he thought were lowly ice peasants. He knew nothing about the Southern Water Tribe, and the brunette did not like the fact that the guy was pretending that he did. All Zuko knows about them was how barbaric he thought they were, that the Fire Nation was so much more advanced than the rest of the world. He’s heard it from a thousand different people, even people from the Earth Kingdom thought that the Tribes were nothing but barbarians who live in huts and kill each other for fun. 

As Sokka continued to eat, he heard footsteps come from outside of the patio and inside of the room. He knew damn well who it was, and he was not going to look up at him to give the guy the satisfaction. But the brunette could still see from the corner of his eyes, so Sokka could see Zuko sit on the other corner of the table, the farthest sea near the patio. The two of them sat in silence for a while, neither of them opening their mouths to say something. But it was not like Sokka had anything to say to the jerk, especially when he was busy enjoying his shrimp soup. In fact, he began to slurp his noodles even louder than before, just so the noirette could hear him. Another while passed. The noodle shrimp bowl was far too large for Sokka to finish on his own, but he kept on going at it anyway. It was not until he heard a voice over his incessant slurping when he stopped chewing altogether. 

“Do you know what I was thinking when you jumped?” Sokka wanted to look over at the noirette, but he was still being a stubborn son of a bitch, so there was no way he was going to do that. But the way that the fellow male was talking, it made it sound like Zuko was a bit… resentful? But he continued, “My first thought was, ‘why?’ Why was he going to jump when he knows there's nothing but open water for who knows how long. You’ve never been on this side of the planet before, so I doubted you knew what our star charts look like. But you still did it anyway. And I know why. It means that you’d rather die than be here with us.” 

To be here with _you._ Suddenly, the wound in his chest began to make itself apparent. Sokka put the pair of metal chopsticks leaning against one side of the bowl and put one hand on top of it. There were multiple layers of clothing covering the bandages, so no one really knew that Sokka would have been injured unless someone already knew about it beforehand. Either way, he knew that Zuko was looking at him now, and Sokka decided it was time to say his piece. 

When the brunette had glanced up at the noirette, he found Zuko's golden eyes staring down at his chest, where his hand was. And when Sokka had begun to speak, Zuko looked up at him, with that stoic look on his face. “You’re wrong.” 

“About?” 

“The last part.” Sokka removed his hand from his chest and looked back down at the noodles. He still had a long way to go before he finished it, but he couldn’t attempt to because of the conversation he was having. Besides, all this serious talk was beginning to make him lose his appetite. “I jumped because I had hope.” 

“Hope.” It was a statement, not a question. 

All Sokka did was nod his head. “I didn’t jump because I wanted to die. I mean, you’re kind of right when you say that I’d rather die than be here with you, but at that moment, I really didn’t see another option. But I didn’t want to die. I _don’t_ want to die. I jumped because even though there was a small chance that I was going to survive, if none at all, I still had hope that I was going to make it. When I had woken up on that ship, surrounded by nothing but pictures of the Fire Nation and a guy that was trying to stab me, I thought you all were trying to torture me or something. So trying to escape was really my only option. But death is not an option for me, and even though you think you’ve won, you’re far from it.” 

Zuko reached forward, and grabbed one of the dumplings that sat on one of the golden plates. He dipped the breaded meat into the small cup and soy sauce before he plopped it into his mouth and chewed slowly. Sokka watched the entire movement with his own eyes, but was silent as a mouse. The prince then said, “You were going to die if I didn’t come and get you. No amount of hope would have gotten you out of that water.” 

Sokka shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe. But there’s always a chance.” 

“No amount of hope should ever lead someone to do something so stupid, especially when his life is on the line. I just ‘hope’ you won’t do something like that ever again.” Zuko gave Sokka a disapproving glare, but it did not faze the brunette one bit. In fact, Sokka picked up the metal chopsticks and began to chow down on the soup once again, not caring if the guy was still talking to him. “Either way, I’m glad you don’t have a death wish. Especially when we’re heading to the palace before dusk.” 

“The palace…” Sokka mutters with a mouthful of noodles in his mouth. “Are we close?” 

Zuko nodded his head. “About an hour away. We could have taken the ship into the main dock of the capitol, but we decided to take the back route.” 

“Why?” Sokka really did not get that. Even though the idea of getting to the capitol sickened him, it didn’t make sense to stop at a dock hours away when there was a port in the capitol. “Are you trying to hide from people? Cause you did a bad job of it when we were back at the dock and that giant crowd of people were surrounding you. And not to mention the entourage of soldiers and guards you have around you twenty four seven.” 

“I can take care of myself.” Zuko snapped. “It’s my sister who wants to be treated like royalty. She was the one that sent a message to the palace and informed them that we had defeated the avatar. I had already planned to go through a low key route so no one would know that I would be arriving, but she was the one that had announced my return. And besides, you should get used to being around the guards and such, you’re going to be around them alot.” 

“Don’t bet on it.” Sokka did not look up from his bowl when he said it. 

“Do you even understand the proportion of the position that I’m giving you? The life you’ll be able to live once you finally get over that stubbornness of yours?” Sokka actually snorted at that. Zuko of all people, was calling him stubborn. But the prince did not find that funny, as his golden eyes narrowed. “People would die for the position that I’m giving you. There are generals and politicians alike that would do whatever it took to be by a royal’s side. They go to the basic academy, then the military one, and spend years on the battlefield to get their positions. People step over one another. They have to tear one another apart just so that they could get some form of status, but you get to skip the line. You get to have all that power in your hands, And isn’t that what you want? To lead thousands of men into battle, to be in a place of power? Your father is a chief, leading a fleet of brave men and women into battle everyday, isn’t that something that you want?” 

Both of them stared at one another for a long while. Zuko’s golden eyes were locked onto him for a long time. Sokka looked away a little later, and gulped. “I don’t want power.” 

“Doesn’t everyone?” 

...does he? 

Wait, no he doesn’t! He was nothing like Zuko, and he was sure as hell not going to be the one commanding a Fire Nation army when they were the ones currently destroying the world! “I’m not going to be your little ‘friend’ whenever the hell you need advice. I’m not going to be like Mai and Ty Lee who do anything that your sister says just because she’s the little princess. If you want some friends, I think there are some pubs in the capitol that could do you nicely.” 

Zuko did not say anything, he just stared at Sokka for a long time. The brunette was getting tired of the little stare offs they have been doing lately, but it seems like they just cannot help it. Either way, Zuko had looked away, and began to reach for something in his robes, pulling it out with his palm. It was too small for Sokka to see, but when the prince began to stand and walk across the room and over to the brunette, Sokka was on high alert. But Zuko did not do anything, all he did was stand about a foot away from him, looking down at the blue eyed tribesman with a narrowed expression. Even though the prince was only about a foot away from him, Sokka could still feel the heat radiating off of him, but not only that, he could even smell a hint of… apples. But Zuko leaned forward, and set whatever it was that was in his hands in front of the brunette, and Sokka held his breath. Sitting in front of Sokka, next to the giant bowl of shrimp noodles, was a small, golden pendant. It was no bigger than the size of his palm, but Sokka could see just how clearly the details of the center of the pendant was. It had sharp edges all around, with the center sprouting out to the circular speaker of the pendant. 

“Some might mistake it for a star, others might for a snowflake.” The prince said in a low voice. “That’s what I need from someone. I don’t want people like Mai and Ty Lee that do whatever Azula asks them to. I want someone to say no. And since no one else in the Fire Nation will, I have to look elsewhere. Welcome to high class, _Lee.”_

And Sokka didn’t look back at the prince when he went back over and sat on his corner of the table. Zuko had taken a plate from a pile of other dishes and began to cut the roasted duck with one of the knives that sat on top of the table. But even then, Sokka just kept staring at the pendant with his ocean eyes, not able to take his eyes off of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, the CAPITAL....!

**Author's Note:**

> whatdya think?? I'm a slut for comments ',;)',;)',;)


End file.
